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Introduction: Women vaccinated through the initial catch-up HPV vaccination programme (2011/12 to 2013/14) first became eligible for cervical screening in 2019 at age 25. This study aims to examine the changes in detection of HG cytology outcomes in 25-year-olds screened from 2010 to 2022 compared to population data on HPV vaccination in this group. Methods: This was an ecological-type study. Cytology results from the CervicalCheck database from 2010 to 2022 (High Grade, Low Grade, and No Abnormality Detected) were plotted against data from the National Immunisation Office on the uptake of HPV vaccinations in females from 2010 to 2022. Results: Vaccination rates in the catch-up programme were lower (44–70%) than for routine HPV immunisation at age 12/13 in 2010/11 (81%). The rate of high-grade cytology in 25-year-olds in 2015–2018 was 3.7% of all cytology tests taken in this age group. For the corresponding period from 2019 to 2022 (when vaccinated women were attending screening), the average percentage of HG cytology in 25-year-olds was 1.5%, representing a significant reduction in HG cytology proportions (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study provides early evidence of the potential impact of HPV vaccination on cervical disease in the Republic of Ireland. Despite lower vaccination uptake in the initial catch-up group, we are seeing early signs of the positive protective effect of HPV vaccination in women at the time of their first cervical screening test. Plans to incorporate individual-level HPV vaccination status for women on the cervical screening register will allow more detailed assessment of the impact of HPV vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We aimed to determine the patient and screening-level factors that are associated with non-attendance in the Irish National Diabetic Retinal screening programme (Diabetic RetinaScreen). To accomplish this, we modelled a selection of predictors derived from the historical screening records of patients with diabetes. Methods: In this cohort study, appointment data from the national diabetic retinopathy screening programme (RetinaScreen) were extracted and augmented using publicly available meteorological and geospatial data. A total of 653,969 appointments from 158,655 patients were included for analysis. Mixed-effects models (univariable and multivariable) were used to estimate the influence of several variables on non-attendance to screening appointments. Results: All variables considered for analysis were statistically significant. Variables of note, with meaningful effect, were age (OR: 1.23 per decade away from 70; 95% CI: [1.22–1.24]), type 2 diabetes (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: [1.06–1.14]) and socio-economic deprivation (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: [1.09–1.16]). A majority (52%) of missed appointments were from patients who had missed three or more appointments. Conclusions: This study is the first to outline factors that are associated with non-attendance within the Irish national diabetic retinopathy screening service. In particular, when corrected for age and other factors, patients with type 2 diabetes had higher rates of non-attendance. Additionally, this is the first study of any diabetic screening programme to demonstrate that weather may influence attendance. This research provides unique insight to guide the implementation of an optimal and cost-effective intervention strategy to improve attendance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examined whether demographic and tumour characteristics (including subtype) were different for women with breast cancer diagnosed via mammography screening compared with women with interval breast cancers, lapsed attenders of the screening programme and non-participants of the screening programme. In addition, we explored whether there were survival differences between the groups, taking into account lead time bias.Methods: We used linked data from National Cancer Registry Ireland and the national breast screening programme BreastCheck. Multinomial logistic regression was used to test the association of covariates with screening status. For survival analysis, we corrected the survival time for screen-detected cases for lead time bias, examined Kaplan-Meier curves and then used Cox regression to investigate differences in survival by screening status.Results: Subtype (HER2 over-expressing, triple negative), stage (III/IV), grade (poor), having co-morbidities, area of deprivation, smoking status and age were associated with having interval cancer or being a non-participant of the screening programme in the multivariable model. After correcting for lead time bias, and adjusting for variables associated with screening status, there was no evidence that risk of breast-cancer death for women with screen-detected cancer was different from women with interval cancer (HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.56-1.03), non-participants (HR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.84-1.37) and lapsed attenders (HR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.65-1.45).Conclusions: Screening status was strongly associated with subtype and this association persisted after adjustment for covariates including tumour stage and grade. After correcting for lead-time bias and adjusting for stage, subtype, grade and socio-demographic variables, no significant survival difference was demonstrated for women with screen-detected cancer in the 5-year period post-diagnosis. Since we are adjusting for stage, subtype and other variables, the lack of difference between these groups would be expected but has not been demonstrated in studies which do not correct for lead time bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]