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Background: Mammographic breast density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Tamoxifen, which reduces the risk of breast cancer in women at high risk, also reduces mammographic breast density. However, it is not known if tamoxifen-induced reductions in breast density can be used to identify women who will benefit the most from prophylactic treatment with this drug., Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study within the first International Breast Cancer Intervention Study, a randomized prevention trial of tamoxifen vs placebo. Mammographic breast density was assessed visually and expressed as a percentage of the total breast area in 5% increments. Case subjects were 123 women diagnosed with breast cancer at or after their first follow-up mammogram, which took place 12-18 months after trial entry, and control subjects were 942 women without breast cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for other risk factors. All statistical tests were two-sided., Results: In the tamoxifen arm, 46% of women had a 10% or greater reduction in breast density at their 12- to 18-month mammogram. Compared with all women in the placebo group, women in the tamoxifen group who experienced a 10% or greater reduction in breast density had 63% reduction in breast cancer risk (odds ratio = 0.37, 95% confidence interval = 0.20 to 0.69, P = .002), whereas those who took tamoxifen but experienced less than a 10% reduction in breast density had no risk reduction (odds ratio = 1.13, 95% confidence interval = 0.72 to 1.77, P = .60). In the placebo arm, there was no statistically significant difference in breast cancer risk between subjects who experienced less than a 10% reduction in mammographic density and subjects who experienced a greater reduction., Conclusion: The 12- to 18-month change in mammographic breast density is an excellent predictor of response to tamoxifen in the preventive setting.

Background: There is international interest in risk-stratification of breast screening programmes to allow women at higher risk to benefit from more frequent screening and chemoprevention. Risk-stratification also identifies women at low-risk who could be screened less frequently, as the harms of breast screening may outweigh benefits for this group. The present research aimed to elicit the views of national healthcare policy decision-makers regarding implementation of less frequent screening intervals for women at low-risk.Methods: Seventeen professionals were purposively recruited to ensure relevant professional group representation directly or indirectly associated with the UK National Screening Committee and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Three themes are reported: (1) producing the evidence defining low-risk, describing requirements preceding implementation; (2) the impact of risk stratification on women is complicated, focusing on gaining acceptability from women; and (3) practically implementing a low-risk pathway, where feasibility questions are highlighted.Conclusions: Overall, national healthcare policy decision-makers appear to believe that risk-stratified breast screening is acceptable, in principle. It will however be essential to address key obstacles prior to implementation in national programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy (SRT) to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) at a young age increases the risk of breast cancer (BC). A national notification risk assessment and screening programme (NRASP) for women who were treated with SRT before the age of 36 years was instituted in the United Kingdom in 2003. In this study, we report the implementation and screening results from the largest English Cancer Network.Methods: A total of 417 eligible women were identified through cancer registry/hospital databases and from follow-up (FU) clinics. Screening results were collated retrospectively, and registry searches were used to capture BC cases.Results: Of the 417 women invited for clinical review, 243 (58%) attended. Of these 417 women, 23 (5.5%) have been diagnosed with BC, a standardised incidence ratio of 2.9 compared with the age-matched general population. Of five invasive BCs diagnosed within the NRASP, none involved axillary lymph nodes compared with 7 of 13 (54%) diagnosed outside the programme (P<0.10). The mean latency for BC cases was 19.5+/-8.35 years and the mean FU duration for those unaffected by BC was 14.6+/-9.11 years (P<0.01), suggesting that those unaffected by BC remain at high risk. Recall and negative biopsy rates were acceptable (10.5 and 0.8%, respectively).Conclusions: The NRASP appears to detect BC at an early stage with acceptable biopsy rates, although numbers are small. Determination of NRASP results on a national basis is required for the accurate evaluation of screening efficacy in women previously treated with SRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on medical-related issues in Great Britain. Comparison of procedures for obtaining consent in clinical trials; Effects of breast conservation on psychological morbidity; Symptoms of hyperresponsiveness.