Breast screening outcomes in women with and without a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer

Objective. To compare breast screening outcomes between women with a moderate or strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer and women without a family history.; Methods. A cohort of 143,574 women aged 50 years and older screened by the Ontario Breast Screening Program from 1996 to 1997 was examined. Screening outcomes were calculated by family history group and by age and screening modality.; Results. Compared to women with no family history, women with a moderate or strong family history had significantly greater cancer detection rates. Positive predictive values in women with a moderate family history were significantly greater. The histologic features of invasive tumours were similar among the three groups.; Conclusions. Greater cancer detection rates and high proportions of tumours with good prognoses indicate that women aged 50 and over with a moderate or strong family history may have the potential to benefit from regular breast cancer screening.