ESR Essentials: screening for breast cancer - general recommendations by EUSOBI.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women accounting for about 30% of all new cancer cases and the incidence is constantly increasing. Implementation of mammographic screening has contributed to a reduction in breast cancer mortality of at least 20% over the last 30 years. Screening programs usually include all women irrespective of their risk of developing breast cancer and with age being the only determining factor. This approach has some recognized limitations, including underdiagnosis, false positive cases, and overdiagnosis. Indeed, breast cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths in women undergoing cancer screening. Supplemental imaging modalities, including digital breast tomosynthesis, ultrasound, breast MRI, and, more recently, contrast-enhanced mammography, are available and have already shown potential to further increase the diagnostic performances. Use of breast MRI is recommended in high-risk women and women with extremely dense breasts. Artificial intelligence has also shown promising results to support risk categorization and interval cancer reduction. The implementation of a risk-stratified approach instead of a "one-size-fits-all" approach may help to improve the benefit-to-harm ratio as well as the cost-effectiveness of breast cancer screening. KEY POINTS: Regular mammography should still be considered the mainstay of the breast cancer screening. High-risk women and women with extremely dense breast tissue should use MRI for supplemental screening or US if MRI is not available. Women need to participate actively in the decision to undergo personalized screening. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS: Mammography is an effective imaging tool to diagnose breast cancer in an early stage and to reduce breast cancer mortality (evidence level I). Until more evidence is available to move to a personalized approach, regular mammography should be considered the mainstay of the breast cancer screening. High-risk women should start screening earlier; first with yearly breast MRI which can be supplemented by yearly or biennial mammography starting at 35-40 years old (evidence level I). Breast MRI screening should be also offered to women with extremely dense breasts (evidence level I). If MRI is not available, ultrasound can be performed as an alternative, although the added value of supplemental ultrasound regarding cancer detection remains limited. Individual screening recommendations should be made through a shared decision-making process between women and physicians.

Breast and cervical cancer programs' success in maintaining screening during periods of high COVID-19: A qualitative multi-case study analysis.

Objective: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) funded programs (recipients) experienced significant declines in breast and cervical cancer screening volume. However, 6 recipients maintained breast and/or cervical cancer screening volume during July-December 2020 despite their states' high COVID-19 test percent positivity. We led a qualitative multi-case study to explore these recipients' actions that may have contributed to screening volume maintenance. Methods: We conducted 22 key informant interviews with recipients, screening provider sites, and partner organizations. Interviews explored organizational and operational changes; screening barriers; actions taken to help maintain screening volume; and support for provider sites to continue screening. We documented contextual factors that may have influenced these actions, including program structures; clinic capacity; and state COVID-19 policies. Results: Thematic analysis revealed crosscutting themes at the recipient, provider site, and partner levels. Recipients made changes to administrative processes to reduce burden on provider sites and delivered tailored technical assistance to support safe screening. Provider sites modified clinic protocols to increase patient safety, enhanced patient reminders for upcoming appointments, and increased patient education on the importance of timely screening during the pandemic. Partners worked with provider sites to identify and reduce patients' structural barriers to screening. Conclusion: Study findings provide lessons learned to inform emergency preparedness-focused planning and operations, as well as routine operations for NBCCEDP recipient programs, other cancer screening initiatives, primary care clinics, and chronic disease prevention programs.

Re-attendance in supplemental breast MRI screening rounds of the DENSE trial for women with extremely dense breasts.

OBJECTIVES: Supplemental MRI screening improves early breast cancer detection and reduces interval cancers in women with extremely dense breasts in a cost-effective way. Recently, the European Society of Breast Imaging recommended offering MRI screening to women with extremely dense breasts, but the debate on whether to implement it in breast cancer screening programs is ongoing. Insight into the participant experience and willingness to re-attend is important for this discussion. METHODS: We calculated the re-attendance rates of the second and third MRI screening rounds of the DENSE trial. Moreover, we calculated age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) to study the association between characteristics and re-attendance. Women who discontinued MRI screening were asked to provide one or more reasons for this. RESULTS: The re-attendance rates were 81.3% (3458/4252) and 85.2% (2693/3160) in the second and third MRI screening round, respectively. A high age (> 65 years), a very low BMI, lower education, not being employed, smoking, and no alcohol consumption were correlated with lower re-attendance rates. Moderate or high levels of pain, discomfort, or anxiety experienced during the previous MRI screening round were correlated with lower re-attendance rates. Finally, a plurality of women mentioned an examination-related inconvenience as a reason to discontinue screening (39.1% and 34.8% in the second and third screening round, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The willingness of women with dense breasts to re-attend an ongoing MRI screening study is high. However, emphasis should be placed on improving the MRI experience to increase the re-attendance rate if widespread supplemental MRI screening is implemented. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: For many women, MRI is an acceptable screening method, as re-attendance rates were high - even for screening in a clinical trial setting. To further enhance the (re-)attendance rate, one possible approach could be improving the overall MRI experience. KEY POINTS: • The willingness to re-attend in an ongoing MRI screening study is high. • Pain, discomfort, and anxiety in the previous MRI screening round were related to lower re-attendance rates. • Emphasis should be placed on improving MRI experience to increase the re-attendance rate in supplemental MRI screening.

Association between the social vulnerability index and breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates in Rhode Island.

BACKGROUND: Cancer screening is effective in reducing the burden of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, but not all communities have appropriate access to these services. In this study, we aimed to identify under-resourced communities by assessing the association between the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) with screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers in ZIP-code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Rhode Island. METHODS: This study leveraged deidentified health insurance claims data from HealthFacts RI, the state's all-payer claims database, to calculate screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures. We used spatial autoregressive Tobit models to assess the association between the SVI, its four domains, and its 15 component variables with screening rates in 2019, accounting for spatial dependencies. RESULTS: In 2019, 73.2, 65.0, and 66.1% of eligible individuals were screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, respectively. For every 1-unit increase in the SVI, screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer were lower by 0.07% (95% CI 0.01-0.08%) and 0.08% (95% CI 0.02-0.15%), respectively. With higher scores on the SVI's socioeconomic domain, screening rates for all three types of cancers were lower. CONCLUSION: The SVI, especially its socioeconomic domain, is a useful tool for identifying areas that are under-served by current efforts to expand access to screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. These areas should be prioritized for new place-based partnerships that address barriers to screening at the individual and community level.

Facing the Emotional Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening. The Roles of Reappraisal and Situation Selection.

BACKGROUND: Disgust, embarrassment, and fear can hinder the attendance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. However, individuals can respond to these emotions differently. The present study tested whether reappraising a negative stimulus versus avoiding a negative stimulus is associated with age; whether these two emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal and situation selection) moderate the effects of disgust, embarrassment and fear on CRC screening intention; and the efficacy of a message based on participants' preferred emotion regulation strategy. METHODS: We recruited 483 Italian participants (aged 40-84 years) through snowball sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions differing for a message promoting CRC screening with an affective lever, a cognitive lever, both levers or none. Key variables included emotion regulation strategies, emotional barriers and intention to get screened. RESULTS: The preference for reappraisal over situation selection increased with age. Reappraisal neutralized the effect of disgust on CRC screening intention. The combined message with both affective and cognitive levers increased CRC screening intention (b = 0.27, ß = 0.11, SE = 0.13 p = .049), whereas reading the message based only on the affective (b = 0.16, ß = 0.06, SE = 0.14 p = .258) or the cognitive (b = 0.22, ß = 0.09, SE = 0.14 p = .107) lever was not effective. CONCLUSIONS: Communication campaigns should support the activation of a reappraisal strategy of emotion control, and messages promoting CRC screening should highlight both the instrumental (i.e., early detection) and affective (i.e., peace of mind) benefits of attendance.

Outcome of early detection approach in control of breast, cervical, and oral cancer: Experience from a rural cancer center in India.

In low- and middle-income countries most of the cancer patients attend the hospital at a late stage and treatment completion of these cases is challenging. The early detection program (EDP), in rural areas of Punjab state, India was initiated to identify breast, cervical, and oral cancer at an early stage by raising awareness and providing easy access to diagnosis and treatment. A total of 361 health education programs and 99 early detection clinics were organized. The symptomatic and self-interested (non-symptomatic individuals who opted for screening) cases visited the detection clinic. They were screened for breast, cervical, and/or oral cancer. Further diagnosis and treatment of screen-positive cases were carried out at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH), Sangrur. Community leaders and healthcare workers were involved in all the activities. The EDP, Sangrur removed barriers between cancer diagnosis and treatment with the help of project staff. From 2019 to 2023, a total of 221,317 populations were covered. Symptomatic and self-interested individuals attended the breast (1627), cervical (1601), and oral (1111) examinations. 46 breast (in situ-4.3%; localized-52.2%), 9 cervical (localized-77.8%), and 12 oral (localized-66.7%) cancer cases were detected, and treatment completion was 82.6%, 77.8%, and 50.0%, respectively. We compared cancer staging and treatment completion of cases detected through EDP with the cases attended HBCH from Sangrur district in 2018; the difference between two groups is statistically significant. Due to the early detection approach, there is disease down-staging and improvement in treatment completion. This approach is feasible and can be implemented to control these cancers in low- and middle-income countries.

3D amide proton transfer-weighted imaging may be useful for diagnosing early-stage breast cancer: a prospective monocentric study.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the value of three-dimensional amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (3D-APTWI) in the diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer (BC) and its correlation with the immunohistochemical characteristics of malignant lesions. METHODS: Seventy-eight women underwent APTWI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI. Pathological results were categorized as either benign (n = 43) or malignant (n = 37) lesions. The parameters of APTWI and DCE-MRI were compared between the benign and malignant groups. The diagnostic value of 3D-APTWI was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) to establish a diagnostic threshold. Pearson's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the magnetization transfer asymmetry (MTRasym) and immunohistochemical characteristics. RESULTS: The MTRasym and time-to-peak of malignancies were significantly lower than those of benign lesions (all p < 0.010). The volume transfer constant, rate constant, and wash-in and wash-out rates of malignancies were all significantly greater than those of benign lesions (all p < 0.010). ROC-AUCs of 3D-APTWI, DCE-MRI, and 3D-APTWI+DCE to differential diagnosis between early-stage BC and benign lesions were 0.816, 0.745, and 0.858, respectively. Only the difference between AUCAPT+DCE and AUCDCE was significant (p < 0.010). When a threshold of MTRasym for malignancy for 2.42%, the sensitivity and specificity of 3D-APTWI for BC diagnosis were 86.5% and 67.6%, respectively; MTRasym was modestly positively correlated with pathological grade (r = 0.476, p = 0.003) and Ki-67 (r = 0.419, p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: 3D-APTWI may be used as a supplementary method for patients with contraindications of DCE-MRI. MTRasym can imply the proliferation activities of early-stage BC. RELEVANCE STATEMENT: 3D-APTWI can be an alternative diagnostic method for patients with early-stage BC who are not suitable for contrast injection. KEY POINTS: • 3D-APTWI reflects the changes in the microenvironment of early-stage breast cancer. • Combined 3D-APTWI is superior to DCE-MRI alone for early-stage breast cancer diagnosis. • 3D-APTWI improves the diagnostic accuracy of early-stage breast cancer.

The implementation and mechanisms of advance notification for cancer screening: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and synthesise information on the content and delivery of advance notifications (information about cancer screening delivered prior to invitation) used to increase cancer screening participation and to understand the mechanisms that may underlie their effectiveness. METHODS: Searches related to advance notification and cancer screening were conducted in six electronic databases (APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science) and results were screened for eligibility. Study characteristics, features of the advance notifications (cancer type, format, delivery time, and content), and the effect of the notifications on cancer screening participation were extracted. Features were summarised and compared across effective versus ineffective notifications. RESULTS: Thirty-two articles were included in this review, reporting on 33 unique advance notifications. Of these, 79% were sent via postal mail, 79% were distributed prior to bowel cancer screening, and most were sent 2 weeks before the screening offer. Twenty-two full versions of the advance notifications were obtained for content analysis. Notifications included information about cancer risk, the benefits of screening, barriers to participation, social endorsement of cancer screening, and what to expect throughout the screening process. Of the 19 notifications whose effect was tested statistically, 68% were found to increase screening (by 0.7%-16%). Effectiveness did not differ according to the format, delivery time, or content within the notification, although some differences in cancer type were observed. CONCLUSION: Future research should explore the effectiveness of advance notification via alternative formats and for other screening contexts and disentangle the intervention- and person-level factors driving its effect on screening participation.

Population-level cancer screening and cancer care in Bhutan, 2020-2023: a review.

Screening of cancers is an important intervention in reducing the incidence and mortality related to cancers. Bhutan is one small country that is witnessing an increasing incidence and mortality related to cancers. The government implemented a time-bound population-level screening for gastric, cervical and breast cancers from 2020 to 2023 with an overall coverage of 91.2% of the eligible population. Among 370,225 individuals screened for H pylori, 32.4% tested positive; among 53,182 who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy, 255 (0.07%) had gastric cancer. Among 10,749 tested for HPV DNA, 9.3% were positive; among 9887 evaluated with colposcopy and biopsy, 154 (0.13%) had cervical cancer. For breast cancer screening, 72,283 underwent clinical breast examination, 845 mammography and cancer was detected in 73 (0.10%) individuals. In this article, we review how Bhutan implemented a population-level cancer screening programme with on boarding of multiple stakeholders and the participation of people across all districts.

Using online search activity for earlier detection of gynaecological malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal and endometrial cancer the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK, yet neither have a screening program in place to facilitate early disease detection. The aim is to evaluate whether online search data can be used to differentiate between individuals with malignant and benign gynaecological diagnoses. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study evaluating online search data in symptomatic individuals (Google user) referred from primary care (GP) with a suspected cancer to a London Hospital (UK) between December 2020 and June 2022. Informed written consent was obtained and online search data was extracted via Google takeout and anonymised. A health filter was applied to extract health-related terms for 24 months prior to GP referral. A predictive model (outcome: malignancy) was developed using (1) search queries (terms model) and (2) categorised search queries (categories model). Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate model performance. 844 women were approached, 652 were eligible to participate and 392 were recruited. Of those recruited, 108 did not complete enrollment, 12 withdrew and 37 were excluded as they did not track Google searches or had an empty search history, leaving a cohort of 235. RESULTS: The cohort had a median age of 53 years old (range 20-81) and a malignancy rate of 26.0%. There was a difference in online search data between those with a benign and malignant diagnosis, noted as early as 360 days in advance of GP referral, when search queries were used directly, but only 60 days in advance, when queries were divided into health categories. A model using online search data from patients (n = 153) who performed health-related search and corrected for sample size, achieved its highest sample-corrected AUC of 0.82, 60 days prior to GP referral. CONCLUSIONS: Online search data appears to be different between individuals with malignant and benign gynaecological conditions, with a signal observed in advance of GP referral date. Online search data needs to be evaluated in a larger dataset to determine its value as an early disease detection tool and whether its use leads to improved clinical outcomes.

Characteristics of Early Pancreatic Cancer: Comparison between Stage 1A and Stage 1B Pancreatic Cancer in Multicenter Clinical Data Warehouse Study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the characteristics of early pancreatic cancer. We aimed to identify the characteristics, clues for early detection, and prognostic factors for early pancreatic cancer by analyzing a large number of patients with stage 1 pancreatic cancer. METHODS: A clinical data warehouse that includes databases of all the medical records of eight academic institutions was used to select and analyze patients with pancreatic cancer that had been diagnosed from January 2010 to May 2023. RESULTS: In total, 257 stage 1 pancreatic cancer patients were included. There were 134 men (52%), and the average age was 67.2 ± 9.9 years. Compared to patients with stage 1B pancreatic cancer (2-4 cm), patients with stage 1A pancreatic cancer (≤2 cm) had more tumors in the body and tail than in the head (p = 0.028), more new-onset diabetes and less old diabetes (p = 0.010), less jaundice (p = 0.020), more follow-up of IPMN (intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, p = 0.029), and more histories of acute pancreatitis (p = 0.013). The pathological findings showed that stage 1A pancreatic cancer involved more IPMNs (p < 0.001) and lower pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (p = 0.004). IPMN was present in all 13 pancreatic tumors that were smaller than 1 cm. In multivariate analysis, positive resection margin (odds ratio [OR] 1.536, p = 0.040), venous invasion (OR 1.710, p = 0.010), and perineural invasion (OR 1.968, p = 0.002) were found to be risk factors affecting disease-free survival, while old diabetes (odds ratio [OS] 1.981, p = 0.003) and perineural invasion (OR 2.270, p = 0.003) were found to be risk factors affecting overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: IPMN is closely associated with early pancreatic cancer and may provide an opportunity for early detection. The presence of perineural invasion was a crucial prognostic factor for both overall and disease-free survival in patients with stage 1 pancreatic cancer.

Colorectal cancer information avoidance is associated with screening adherence.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cancer among U.S. men and women and the second deadliest. Effective screening modalities can either prevent CRC or find it earlier, but fewer than two thirds of U.S. adults are adherent to CRC screening guidelines. We tested whether people who defensively avoid CRC information have lower adherence to CRC screening recommendations and weaker intentions for being screened and whether CRC information avoidance adds predictive ability beyond known determinants of screening. Participants, aged 45-75 years, completed a survey about known structural determinants of CRC screening (healthcare coverage, healthcare use, provider recommendation), CRC information avoidance tendencies, and screening behavior (n = 887) and intentions (n = 425). Models were tested with multivariable regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). To the extent that participants avoided CRC information, they had lower odds of being adherent to CRC screening guidelines (OR = 0.55) and if non-adherent, less likely to intend to be screened (b=-0.50). In the SEM model, avoidance was negatively associated with each known structural determinant of screening and with lower screening adherence (ps < 0.01). Fit was significantly worse for nested SEM models when avoidance was not included, (i.e., the paths to avoidance were fixed to zero). Information avoidance was associated with screening behavior and other known structural determinants of screening adherence, potentially compounding its influence. Novel strategies are needed to reach avoiders, including health communication messaging that disrupts avoidance and interventions external to the healthcare system, with which avoiders are less engaged.

Racial disparities of gastric cancer in the USA: an overview of epidemiology, global screening guidelines, and targeted screening in a heterogeneous population.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer diagnosis and fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. The incidence of gastric cancer in the USA shows significant racial and ethnic disparities with gastric cancer incidence in Korean Americans being over five times higher than in non-Hispanic whites. Since gastric cancer is not common in the USA, there are no current screening guidelines. In countries with higher incidences of gastric cancer, screening guidelines have been implemented for early detection and intervention and this has been associated with a reduction in mortality. Immigrants from high incidence countries develop gastric cancer at lower rates once outside of their country of origin, but continue to be at higher risk for developing gastric cancer. This risk does seem to decrease with subsequent generations. With increasing availability of endoscopy, initiating gastric cancer screening guidelines for high-risk groups can have the potential to improve survival by diagnosing and treating gastric cancer at an earlier stage. This article aims to provide context to gastric cancer epidemiology globally, review risk factors for developing gastric cancer, highlight racial and ethnic disparities in gastric cancer burden in the USA, examine current guidelines that exist in high incidence countries, and suggest future studies examining the efficacy of additional screening in high-risk populations to reduce gastric cancer mortality and disparate burden on ethnic minorities in the USA.

Stage Shifting by Modifying the Determinants of Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis: A Simulation Study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women; nearly 25% of women diagnosed with cancer have breast cancer. The early detection of breast cancer is a major challenge because tumours often grow without causing symptom. The diagnosis of breast cancer at an early stage (stages I and II) improves survival outcomes because treatments are more effective and better tolerated. To better inform the prevention of and screening for breast cancer, simulations using modifiable rather than non-modifiable risk factors may be helpful in shifting the stage at diagnosis downward. METHODS: Breast cancer stages were simulated using the data distributions from Alberta's Tomorrow Project participants who developed breast cancer. Using multivariable partial proportional odds regression models, modifiable lifestyle factors associated with the stage of cancer at diagnosis were evaluated. The proportions or mean levels of these lifestyle factors in the simulated population were systematically changed, then multiplied by their corresponding estimated odds ratios from the real data example. The effects of these changes were evaluated singly as well as cumulatively. RESULTS: Increasing total dietary protein (g/day) intake was the single most important lifestyle factor in shifting the breast cancer stage downwards followed by decreasing total dietary energy intake (kcal/day). Increasing the proportion of women who spend time in the sun between 11 am and 4 pm in the summer months, who have had a mammogram, who have been pregnant or reducing the proportion who are in stressful situations had much smaller effects. The percentage of Stage I diagnoses could be increased by approximately 12% with small modifications of these lifestyle factors. CONCLUSION: Shifting the breast cancer stage at diagnosis of a population may be achieved through changes to lifestyle factors. This proof of principle study that evaluated multiple factors associated with the stage at diagnosis in a population can be expanded to other cancers as well, providing opportunities for cancer prevention programs to target specific factors and identify populations at higher risk.

Impact of endoscopic surveillance on the early diagnosis and endoscopic resection likelihood of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopy could help detect early gastric cancer (EGC) and improve the prognosis of patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of endoscopy and endoscopic surveillance on the early detection of gastric cancer (GC), GC staging, and treatment selection. METHODS: Patients with GC diagnosed at our center from 2010 to 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and allocated to the short-interval group (had received endoscopy within 3 years before diagnosis), the long-interval group (had received endoscopy more than 3 years before diagnosis), and the unchecked group (had not received endoscopy before diagnosis). The differences in GC staging and treatment modalities among the three groups were analyzed, and the differences in the clinical and pathological features of EGC were further analyzed. RESULTS: One thousand and twenty-five GC patients were included, with 395 cases of EGC and 630 cases of advanced GC. The proportions of EGC in the short-interval, long-interval, and unchecked groups were 98.0%, 84.2%, and 29.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Among the 387 lesions of 367 EGC patients were resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), 341 (88.1%) exhibited curative resection, and 46 (11.9%) involved noncurative resections. Lesions of EGC differed significantly in diameter, depth of invasion, and curative resection rate (p = 0.033, 0.019, and 0.005, respectively). In the short-interval group, 87.8% of the lesions were ≤ 2 cm, 95.6% of the invasion depths were confined to the mucosal layer, and 96.7% of the eCura scores were A or B. Compared with the unchecked group, they had smaller diameters (RR = 0.419, 95% CI 0.234-0.752), shallower invasion depths (RR = 0.286, 95% CI 0.105-0.777), and a higher curative resection rate (RR = 0.215, 95% CI 0.068-0.676). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic surveillance at 3-year intervals can help detect EGC, and the EGC lesions found have smaller diameters and shallower depths of invasion, helping improve the curative resection rate of ESD.

Abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance: A review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common primary malignancies of the liver and a leading cause for cancer-related deaths worldwide. HCC surveillance aims at early detection. The recommended strategy for screening HCC is biannual ultrasound with or without alpha-fetoprotein. However, this strategy is associated with sub-optimal sensitivity. Abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI) is a promising alternative to ultrasound (US) for surveillance of HCC. The data regarding the role of AMRI in HCC screening is evolving. There are different AMRI protocols, each having its merits and disadvantages. In this review, we discuss the need for AMRI, protocols of AMRI and hindrances to widespread adoption of AMRI.

Developing a breast cancer screening decision aid in Spanish for average-risk women: a mixed methods study.

Introduction: We aimed to develop a decision aid to support shared-decision making between physicians and women with average breast cancer risk when deciding whether to participate in breast cancer screening. Methods: We included women at average risk of breast cancer and physicians involved in supporting the decision of breast cancer screening from an Academic Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We followed the International Patient Decision Aid Standards to develop our decision aid. Guided by a steering group and a multidisciplinary consultancy group including a patient advocate, we reviewed the evidence about breast cancer screening and previous decision aids, explored the patients' information needs on this topic from the patients' and physicians' perspective using semi-structured interviews, and we alpha-tested the prototype to determine its usability, comprehensibility and applicability. Results: We developed the first prototype of a web-based decision aid to use during the clinical encounter with women aged 40 to 69 with average breast cancer risk. After a meeting with our consultancy group, we developed a second prototype that underwent alpha-testing. Physicians and patients agreed that the tool was clear, useful and applicable during a clinical encounter. We refined our final prototype according to their feedback. Conclusion: We developed the first decision aid in our region and language on this topic, developed with end-users' input and informed by the best available evidence. We expect this decision aid to help women and physicians make shared decisions during the clinical encounter when talking about breast cancer screening.

Patterns and Predictors of Referral for Screening Breast MRI: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Introduction: Women with ≥20% lifetime breast cancer risk can receive supplemental breast cancer screening with MRI. We examined factors associated with recommendation for screening breast MRI among primary care providers (PCPs), gynecologists (GYNs), and radiologists. Methods: We conducted a sequential mixed-methods study. Quantitative: Participants (N = 72) reported recommendations for mammogram and breast MRI via clinical vignettes describing hypothetical patients with moderate, high, and very high breast cancer risk. Logistic regressions assessed the relationships of clinician-level factors (gender, specialty, years practicing) and practice-level factors (practice type, imaging facilities available) with screening recommendations. Qualitative: We interviewed a subset of survey participants (n = 17, 17/72 = 24%) regarding their decision-making about breast cancer screening recommendations. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with directed content analysis. Results: Compared with PCPs, GYNs and radiologists were significantly more likely to recommend breast MRI for high-risk (ORs = 4.09 and 4.09, respectively) and very-high-risk patients (ORs = 8.56 and 18.33, respectively). Qualitative analysis identified two key phases along the clinical pathway for high-risk women. Phase 1 was "identifying high-risk women," which included three subthemes (systems for risk assessment, barriers to risk assessment, scope of practice issues). Phase 2 was "referral for screening," which included three subthemes (conflicting guidelines, scope of practice issues, legal implications). Frequency of themes differed between specialties, potentially explaining findings from the quantitative phase. Conclusions: There are significant differences between specialties in supplemental breast cancer screening recommendations. Multilevel interventions are needed to support identification and management of women with high breast cancer risk, particularly for PCPs.

The association between organised colorectal cancer screening strategies and reduction of its related mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To assess the long-term association between organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening strategies and CRC-relate mortality. METHODS: We systematically reviewed studies on organised CRC screening through PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase and Cochrane from the inception. We retrieved characteristics of organised CRC screening from included literature and matched mortality (over 50 years) of those areas from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in May 2023. The variations of mortality were reported via the age-standardised mortality ratio. A random-effects model was used to synthesis results. RESULTS: We summarised 58 organised CRC screening programmes and recorded > 2.7 million CRC-related deaths from 22 countries where rollout screening programmes were performed. The CRC screening strategy with faecal tests (guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) or faecal immunochemical tests (FIT)) or colonoscopy as the primary screening offer was associated with a 41.8% reduction in mortality, which was higher than those offered gFOBT (4.4%), FIT (16.7%), gFOBT or FIT (16.2%), and faecal tests (gFOBT or FIT) or flexible sigmoidoscopy (16.7%) as primary screening test. The longer duration of screening was associated with a higher reduction in the pooled age-standardised mortality ratio. In particular, the pooled age-standardised mortality ratio became non-significant when the screening of FIT was implemented for less than 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: A CRC screening programme running for > 5 years was associated with a reduction of CRC-related mortality. Countries with a heavy burden of CRC should implement sustainable, organised screening providing a choice between faecal tests and colonoscopy as a preferred primary test.

Screening behaviors of high-risk individuals for lung cancer: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate current screening behaviors among high-risk individuals and analyse the factors that influence them. Methods: A cross-sectional of 1652 high-risk individuals were recruited in Fujian Province, China from February to October 2022. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants were collected and other survey measures included a lung cancer and lung cancer screening knowledge questionnaire and a stage of adoption algorithm. Standardized measures on surveys were comprised of the: Lung Cancer Screening Health Belief Scales, Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Patient Trust in the Medical Profession Scale. Factors associated with screening behavior were identified using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Lung cancer screening behavior stages were largely reported as Stage 1 and Stage 2 (64.4%). The facilitators of lung cancer screening included urban residence (OR = 1.717, 95% CI: 1.224-2.408), holding administrative positions (OR = 16.601, 95% CI: 2.118-130.126), previous lung cancer screening behavior (OR = 10.331, 95% CI: 7.463-14.302), media exposure focused on lung cancer screening (OR = 1.868, 95% CI: 1.344-2.596), a high level of knowledge about lung cancer and lung cancer screening (OR = 1.256, 95% CI: 1.185-1.332), perceived risk of lung cancer (OR = 1.123, 95% CI: 1.029-1.225) and lung cancer screening health beliefs (OR = 1.090, 95% CI: 1.067-1.113). A barrier to lung cancer screening was found to be social influence (influence of friends or family) (OR = 0.669, 95% CI: 0.465-0.964). Conclusions: This study found a low participation rate in lung cancer screening and identified eight factors that affected lung cancer screening behaviors among high-risk individuals. Findings suggest targeted lung cancer screening programs should be developed based on identified influencing factors in order to effectively promote awareness and uptake of lung cancer screening.