Breast cancer incidence and survival: registry-based studies of long-term trends and determinants

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in the Netherlands, and it is the most important cause of cancer death. Between age 35 and 55 about 20% of all deaths among women is due to breast cancer.1 The age-standardised incidence rate is among the highest in Europe/ and incidence rates have been increasing since 1960.3 The mortality from breast cancer has been fairly stable for many years, but decreased somewhat in the last decade (figure 1). The detection of (early) breast cancer has been facilitated by the introduction and increased use of mammography and cytology since the 1980s. The implementation of the mass breast cancer screening programme between 1991 and 1996 further increased the incidence of breast cancer, also because of an increased awareness in the population. However, any increase associated with early detection would be temporary. Some of the screen-detected tumours would never have been diagnosed without a mass screening programme, so some of the increase is likely to be artificial.