IntroductionThe effectiveness of breast cancer screening programmes in reducing mortality from breast cancer is dependent on maintaining adequate attendance at screening among eligible women. Information regarding the general characteristics and health of women who do and do not attend for breast cancer screening is limited and representative data are difficult to obtain. This paper compares the characteristics of women who do and do not attend for breast cancer screening through the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP), in terms of age, deprivation and prescriptions for a variety of commonly used medications. It also assesses the characteristics of women from the same population who agreed to participate in the Million Women Study, which recruits women through the NHSBSP. HRT = hormone replacement therapy; NHSBSP = National Health Service Breast Screening Programme.Available online http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/4/1/R1 Abstract Background: Information regarding the characteristics and health of women who do and do not attend for breast cancer screening is limited and representative data are difficult to obtain. Methods: Information on age, deprivation and prescriptions for various medications was obtained for all women at two UK general practices who were invited to breast cancer screening through the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. The characteristics of women who attended and did not attend screening were compared. Results: Of the 1064 women invited to screening from the two practices, 882 (83%) attended screening. Screening attenders were of a similar age to non-attenders but came from significantly less deprived areas (30% of attenders versus 50% of non-attenders came from the most deprived areas, P < 0.0001) and were more likely to have a current prescription for hormone replacement therapy (32% versus 19%, P < 0.0001). No significant differences in recent prescriptions of medication for hypertension, heart disease, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, asthma, thyroid disease or depression/anxiety were observed between attenders and non-attenders. Conclusion: Women who attend the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme come from less deprived areas and are more likely to have a current prescription for hormone replacement therapy than non-attenders, but do not differ in terms of age or recent prescriptions for various other medications.

No abstract

Setting The Million Women Study is a cohort study of women aged 50-64 years in England and Scotland. As a component of the follow-up questionnaire, participants were asked to indicate if they had an abnormal cervical smear in the previous five years. This study compared self-reported cervical abnormalities with screening records obtained from the National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme. Methods For 1944 randomly selected Million Women Study participants in Oxfordshire, screening records were assessed over a six-year period prior to the date of self-reporting. The six-year period was chosen to allow for errors in the recall of timing of abnormal smears. Results A total of 68 women (3.5%) had a record of at least one equivocal or abnormal smear within the last six years, whereas 49 women (2.5%) self-reported an abnormality. There was a strong trend for an increased probability of self-reporting a history of an abnormal smear as the severity of the recorded abnormality increased (Po0.001). For women with an NHS record of borderline dyskaryosis, mild dyskaryosis, or moderate dyskaryosis/severe dyskaryosis/invasive cancer, the proportions reporting an abnormality were 40%, 58% and 77%, respectively. For women with negative and inadequate smears, the proportion self-reporting an abnormality were 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively. Conclusions These results indicate that among women whose screening programme records show an abnormal smear, the proportion self-reporting an abnormality increases with the severity of the recorded lesion. Almost all women with a record of negative or inadequate smear(s) correctly interpret the result and do not self-report an abnormality. INTRODUCTION The Million Women Study is a cohort study of women aged 50-64 years in England and Scotland. Participants were recruited through the regional centres of the National Health Service (NHS) Breast Screening Programme between 1996 and 2001.1,2 Women were asked questions about demographic, lifestyle and other factors at recruitment and at follow-up, which occurred between two and three years after recruitment (questionnaires are available at www.millionwomenstudy.org). The follow-up questionnaire, sent to a sample of women who were recruited between 1996 and 1999, included the following question:Have you had any of the following conditions diagnosed for the first time in the last 5 years?y[A number of options are given, including] Abnormal cervical smear test (Pap smear).A checkbox for a 'yes' response, and month and year fields for the date of the abnormal smear, were included. This paper reports on the results of a validation study conducted to assess the level of agreement between selfreported cytological smear results and cervical screening records. Records were obtained from the database of the Oxfordshire NHS Cervical Screening Programme, which is co-ordinated at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The Oxfordshire service integrates records from all general practitioners and laboratories in the region and is responsible for sending ...

No abstract