Finns consider extending breast screening age:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A number of Finnish municipalities will need "notable extra resources" to extend the upper age limit of its breast cancer screening programme from 59 to 69 years, as recently recommended by the health technology assessment agency, FinOHTA. Nationally, there are sufficient screening devices and experienced professionals, but their geographical distribution is uneven, says FinOHTA. "It is likely that the ministry will give guidance on extending screening to older age groups, but has not made a firm decision yet," Marjukka Makela, research professor at FinOHTA, told Clinica. FinOHTA estimated the cost per life-year saved by mammography screening to be FMk36,600 ($5,500). When all factors were varied within reasonable limits, the estimate ranged from FMk11,600 to FMk223,000.