Spanish regions under pressure to extend breast screening age groups:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Spain's leading breast cancer awareness and pressure group, FECMA, considers the country's mammography-based screening campaigns to be "excellent", but nevertheless believes that the lower age-limit of the call-up system should be lowered. In statements reporting the high success rates that result from the early detection of most of the 15,000 cases diagnosed annually, FECMA president Maria Antonia Gimon said that while regional authorities were targeting the 50-69-year age group, "it would be ideal for screening to be progressively extended to start at 45 years". A spokesperson for the federation (Federacion Espanola de Cancer de Mama) told Clinica that some regional authorities (screening policies are among the areas of healthcare that have been decentralised) are reportedly considering its recommendations.