Abstract
Background
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Mammography screening can detect initial lesions, which, if treated, will have a favorable outcome in most cases.
Objective
To analyze the two-year follow-up of women screened for breast cancer in the state of Rio de Janeiro, who had probable benign lesions (BI-RADS® 3) in 2011.
Method
A retrospective cohort study with data from the Breast Cancer Information Systems (SISMAMA) and Mortality System (SIM), using a probabilistic linkage between the recovery of follow-up databases. The investigation of factors associated with repeat screening was based on Cox's proportional hazards model.
Results
1261 women were identified with BI-RADS® 3 results, of which 498 women received follow-up screening in the SIS. Most presented normal or benign results in the control (51.1%). The median time for repeat screening was 12 months; with shorter time for women ≤ 70 years old, those who lived outside the capital and those who were at risk of breast cancer.
Conclusion
The mammography repetition time observed was longer than recommended, indicating the need to improve breast cancer screening rates.
Keywords:
breast neoplasms; systems integration; mammography; mass screening; unified health system