RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Breast screening: a subject for debate.
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 166
OP 167
VO 41
IS 345
A1 J Austoker
A1 D Sharp
YR 1991
UL http://bjgp.org/content/41/345/166.abstract
AB The National Health Service Breast Screening Programme was instituted in 1988 following the recommendations of the Forrest report in 1986. From the beginning it has been controversial. Is breast cancer screening efficacious? Can the efficacy produced in trials be reproduced nationwide in the UK? Do the benefits of screening outweigh the adverse effects? Answers to all these questions are not yet available but in the light of current evidence, breast screening does appear to offer a realistic opportunity to reduce the mortality from a disease which constitutes a major public health problem in the UK. The role of the general practitioner and the primary care team is considered in the light of the experience gained in the first phase of the screening programme.