Cancer screening programmes
The Region of Tuscany launched a prevention and early detection programme for breast and cervical cancer some years ago, recently complemented by the introduction of a bowel cancer screening programme.
Screening is a public health measure through which Local Health Auhorities systematically invite healthy or asymptomatic population groups to have preventive tests (mammography, Pap test and faecal occult blood) free of charge, when included in age groups considered to be at risk.
Objective
Its objective is to detect cancer at an early stage, when there are no symptoms or even, as with the Pap test, before the actual tumour develops.
Target population
The target population is:
- women aged 25 to 64 for the early detection of cervical cancer;
- women aged 50 to 69 for the early detection of breast cancer;
- women and men aged 50 to 70 for the early detection of colo-rectal cancer.
Advantages
It is scientifically proven that early detection improves the effectiveness of treatment for all tumours.
Risks
Oncological screening does not involve any risk.
Limits of screening
Screening does not ensure total protection. In any screening programme there is a minimum percentage of false negative results (tumours already present but missed) and false positive results (the test may detect a suspicious lesion that, upon further investigation is shown not to be dangerous).
Moreover, there are tumours that develop rapidly in the two years between one screening and the next (this is particularly true for breast cancer).
