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PubMed1981

Mental health workers' ratings of the importance of the goals of a cooperative CMHC-state hospital screening-aftercare program.

Ratings of the importance of the goals of a pilot community mental health center (CMHC)-state psychiatric hospital cooperative program aimed at providing screening and aftercare were obtained from 214 mental health professionals. Respondents were employed at state hospitals, at CMHCs that were participating in the program, and at CMHCs that were not participating in the pilot cooperative program. Ratings of importance were found to differ across goals, between mental health workers of state hospitals and CMHCs, between participating and nonparticipating CMHCs, between professions, and as a function of distance between CMHCs and state hospitals. Implications of the findings for the evaluation of the success of a cooperative screening-aftercare pilot program are discussed.

Aftercare↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cervical screening revisited.

Some of the achievements of cervical screening in the reduction of morbidity and mortality in different countries are briefly reviewed, along with a consideration of some of the aspects of cervical cancer screening programs. The latter include the organization of the program (e.g., whether it is organized by the national health authorities), the protection afforded by routine screening, the assurance of quality in cervical sampling and in the screening program, the screening interval, the age groups to be screened, the compliance of women to present themselves for screening and of health care personnel to provide appropriate follow-up and/or treatment for the lesions diagnosed, the problem of false positives and its relation to overdiagnosis and overtreatment and, finally, the cost effectiveness. It is concluded that a centrally organized and well supervised cervical screening program, cautiously executed and with all involved parties closely cooperating, can be a cost-effective means of combatting cervical cancer.

Carcinoma in Situ↗

PubMed2002

Newborn screening: an overview.

The ethical considerations and the criteria for inclusion of a test to a newborn screening program have remained constant since testing began in the 1960s. Does the test identify a treatable disorder with significant incidence to pose a public health risk and warrant testing all babies in that state or territory? Technological advances in testing, particularly with the improvement of tandem mass spectrometry techniques and the advent of DNA testing for the specific gene mutations, have expanded our understanding of many inherited metabolic diseases. These mostly autosomal recessive disorders went under-diagnosed by the medical community for many years. This was partly due to the notion that the incidence of inherited metabolic diseases was quite rare and that many so-called birth defects, or unexplained infant deaths, were not associated with any known metabolic disorders. Public health departments, as part of their newborn health programs, offer some newborn screening to all infants born within their jurisdiction. Two tests, those for phenylketonuria (PKU) and congenital hypothyroidism are universally mandated (51/51 juristictions). The next highest frequency tests are for galactosemia and sickle cell disease (50/51), with up to thirty tests available in some states. However, the authority as to which tests are included resides with the local state government, either as a matter of law or as a matter for the public health department. As these matters become more complex, many public health officials and pediatric healthcare practitioners urge the Federal government to become involved and develop national guidelines in an effort to streamline the process and decrease the existing inconsistencies between states. For many laboratorians, the collection of newborn screening blood spot samples is the extent of their involvement in newborn screening programs. The many facets of these programs, the status of newborn screening in the United States, and the incidence and description of selected inherited disorders are explored.

Blood Specimen Collection↗

PubMed1991

Genetic screening: triumphs, problems, and controversies.

As genetic screening becomes more widespread, it becomes increasingly important to analyze the manifold implications of genetic screening programs. This paper characterizes the various types of programs and discusses some of the scientific, ethical, social, and economic issues that arise in evaluating any genetic screening program. Two examples of successful programs, newborn screening for phenylketonuria and carrier detection for Tay-Sachs disease, are presented. We then discuss three other screening programs that have not yet been fully implemented but which have already engendered a great deal of controversy: mass screening for heterozygosity for cystic fibrosis, DNA fingerprinting in the criminal justice system, and genetic screening in the workplace.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed2004

Is genetic screening for hemochromatosis worthwhile?

Hereditary hemochromatosis is an iron overload disorder and is the most common recessive disease in Caucasians. About 80% of hemochromatosis patients are homozygous for the C282Y mutation in the HFE gene. Since iron accumulation can be prevented by phlebotomy, there is increasing interest in screening populations for hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis is a disease that meets all the criteria for screening as set by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the US preventive services task force criteria for a screening program. However, there is no consensus on the value of a screening program for hemochromatosis. Moreover, there is no agreement on whether this screening should be based on the phenotype i.e. biochemical levels of serum iron parameters or on the genotype i.e. based on the presence of mutations in the HFE gene. Other important concerns are the lack of important data in evaluating screening as well as the psychosocial impact of a screening program. The present review analyses the current situation from a genetic-epidemiological perspective. We conclude that general population screening may be helpful to identify high-risk groups or individuals in the early stage of the disease so that treatment can be started. We suggest a two-phase screening program based on the first instance on serum iron levels and then a genetic test to only those with elevated serum iron parameters.

Female↗

PubMed2001

Cost-effectiveness of screening swab or urine specimens for Chlamydia trachomatis from young Canadian women in Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Undetected and untreated Chlamydia trachomatis infections can result in a significant health burden. Diagnostic testing refers to tests performed on patients with symptoms, whereas screening refers to testing specimens in asymptomatic patients. The goal of diagnostic testing and screening programs are early identification of infections to prevent upper tract infection and transmission to other partners. GOAL: To compare the costs and outcomes of alternative diagnostic testing and screening programs for women ages 15 to 24 years in the province of Ontario, Canada. STUDY DESIGN: Using outcome probabilities from the literature and a consensus group, together with the costs from insurance billing, a decision analytic model was constructed to determine the baseline risk of C trachomatis and related sequelae. Seven diagnostic testing and screening programs were compared over a 10-year period. The programs compared included the use of nucleic acid amplification assays collected from urine or endocervical swab specimens. RESULTS: Largely because of lower sensitivity the urine-based testing or screening programs were dominated by the swab-based programs. The move from swab-based testing to a swab-based screening program for high-risk women costs $1873 per case of C trachomatis averted. Expanding the program further to include all women in Ontario between 15 and 24 years of age is considerably more costly at $5990 per case averted. CONCLUSIONS: It is more costly and more effective to screen and treat high-risk women ages 15 to 24 years for C trachomatis than to perform only swab-based diagnostic testing on symptomatic women. Expanding the screening program to include all women ages 15 to 24 years is considerably more expensive and only moderately more effective than screening only high-risk women.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Screening for prostate cancer is neither appropriate nor cost-effective.

Seen from a societal perspective, the health gains that might result from prostate screening are too uncertain to justify the substantial associated costs and adverse health effects. Clinicians who rely on observational screening studies to justify current screening practices should be aware of the potential biases that render conclusions suspect. Medical history documents numerous cases of medical interventions that appeared reasonable at the time, but ultimately proved worthless and even harmful. Before embarking on an ambitious screening program for prostate cancer, clinicians should demand that five basic criteria are satisfied: (1) that prostate cancer is a significant health burden, (2) that screening can identify localized disease, (3) that tests used in screening programs have acceptable performance among the population being tested, (4) that the potential for cure is greater among patients with screen-detected disease, and (5) that screen-detected patients have improved health outcomes compared with those who are not screened. Randomized trials provide the best methodology for determining the efficacy of screening and treatment. Clinicians are often too quick to credit medical intervention for successful outcomes and blame tumor biology for disease progression. Furthermore, when faced with a decision of administering or withholding therapy, physicians generally wish to err on the side of having done everything possible. Data modeling can provide critical insights concerning these issues using currently available information. Three recently published models suggest that the overall benefit to a population of men screened for prostate cancer can be measured in days of additional time of life gained, not months or years. Furthermore, models suggest that a substantial number of men need to undergo treatment in order to avert a single cancer death. The costs of implementing a screening program are enormous and deflect resources away from alternative uses, such as increased basic science funding to identify a cure for this disease. Therefore, based on the evidence presented, I believe that without more substantial data supporting the efficacy of screening programs, screening for prostate cancer is neither appropriate nor cost-effective.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1996

Interval carcinomas of the breast: a group with intermediate outcome.

BACKGROUND: Interval carcinoma is defined as a carcinoma detected between two mammographic screening rounds after a negative screening. By some authors these carcinomas are considered to be more aggressive than screen-detected carcinomas. METHODS: In a group of 937 patients referred for breast cancer in the period 1975-1990, 76 interval carcinoma patients were treated. In a retrospective study the outcome was studied of patients with an interval carcinoma in comparison with patients with screen-detected carcinomas and of patients with clinically detected carcinomas outside the screening program. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in the 5-year and 10-year disease-free survival of patients with interval carcinoma (80%, 68%) and the screen-detected group (89%, 81%) (P = 0.12). The interval group did significantly better than the patients with carcinomas detected outside the screening program (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Interval-detected cancers for patients in the screening program had an outcome intermediate between patients with screen-detected cancers and patients with cancers detected outside the screening program. The difference between interval-detected cancers and cancers detected outside the screening program was significant, whereas the difference between screen-detected and interval cancers was not.

Actuarial Analysis↗

PubMed1993

New Swedish breast cancer detection results for women aged 40-49.

The issue of whether to screen women aged 40-49 for breast cancer is debated usually in terms of the potential mortality reduction achievable by the application of screening in this age group. Theories regarding why a significant reduction in mortality has not been observed in trials relate to the biologic behavior of tumors in this age group and the screening process itself. Survival curves with respect to node status, size, and grade of the tumor were compared among age groups in the Swedish two-county trial. In the Kopparberg part of this trial, for the 40-49 age group, predicted survival was calculated from the size, node status, and grade of cancers detected during the trial in comparison with those found in two later series of tumors, one from the 1989-1992, Kopparberg screening program, the other from the British Columbia screening program, the other from the British Columbia screening program that began in 1988. The Kopparberg arm of the Swedish two-county study used single-view mammography with extended processing but without grid; the two more recent programs used two-view mammography with extended processing and the grid. Both the Kopparberg programs used a 2-year interval. The effects of grade, node status, and size on survival in the 40-49 age group were very similar to their effects in older age groups. Predicted survival from the latter Kopparberg series was essentially the same as that for the earlier. The mortality reduction in this age group in the Kopparberg part of the Swedish two-county trial was 26%. The survival results indicate no biologic reason why screening should not be able, theoretically, to reduce mortality. Nonsignificant reductions in mortality have been observed in the Kopparberg part of the two-county trial and in the overview of Swedish trials. The similar predictive results for the two-view and one-view trials suggest that the most likely way to achieve further reductions in mortality is to reduce the interval between screens, possibly to 1 year.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Attitudes and knowledge of colorectal cancer and screening in Hong Kong: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks third of all cancer mortalities in Hong Kong. CRC screening can reduce mortality. However, participation in the CRC screening program depends on the knowledge and attitude of the population. The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge and attitude towards CRC screening in the Hong Kong population. METHODS: One thousand and thirty-three patients were interviewed by telephone survey. Knowledge and attitudes were assessed by using questionnaires. RESULTS: Only 8.9% of the respondents were able to mention that CRC was the second commonest cancer cause of death; 4.5% believed they would have a higher chance of developing CRC as compared to other cancers, and 7.4% could mention one of the screening methods. Approximately half (50.3%) were unable to identify any available screening venue. Approximately one-third (29.5%) indicated that they would definitely join a free CRC screening program, but the percentage dropped to 7.9% when a paid screening program was offered. Some (30.4%) of the respondents had the wrong impression that they did not require CRC screening because they were asymptomatic. Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictor for participating in free screening was the concern level of getting CRC, while that for a paid screening program was a positive family history of CRC and the concern level. The concern level was dependent on a positive family history and knowledge of CRC. CONCLUSION: The general population in Hong Kong had deficient knowledge of CRC and screening. Education on the impact of CRC and beneficial effects of CRC screening should be offered before launching a CRC screening program.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Comparing mass screening techniques for gastric cancer in Japan.

AIM: To discuss the efficacy of endoscopic mass screening for gastric cancer. METHODS: The data used in this study were the results of mass screening programs for gastric cancer in Niigata City from 2002 to 2004. The number of participants was 35,089 in 2002, 34,557 in 2003 and 36,600 in 2004. The finding ratio referred to the final diagnosis of gastric cancer after a double check of endoscopic files and histological findings. The costs of identifying one case of gastric cancer were calculated based on the total expense for each screening program and additional close examinations. RESULTS: From the analysis of individual screening program with endoscopy, individual screening program with X-ray (ISX) and mass screening program with photofluorography (MSP) in reference to the finding ratio of gastric cancer, endoscopic examination was the best for detecting early gastric cancer, the finding ratio was 0.87% in 2004, approximately 2.7 and 4.6 times higher than those of the ISX and MSP groups. In addition, this novel method was the cheapest means regarding the cost of identifying one case of gastric cancer, which was estimated to be 1,608,000 Japanese yen in 2004. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic mass screening is a promising method and can be effectively applied if a sufficient number of skilled endoscopists become available to staff the system and if city offices support it.

Endoscopy↗

PubMed1995

Screening for NIDDM in nonpregnant adults. A review of principles, screening tests, and recommendations.

The economic burden of diabetes in the U.S. is now more than 90 billion dollars per year (113-115). In the diabetes community, there is a feeling that aggressive measures to detect diabetes in earlier stages may be warranted. Regardless of whether evidence is convincing that there are benefits from early detection of diabetes (3,116,117), screening activities have been sanctioned by many organizations and are now taking place. Operational research is needed to define more clearly the who, when, where, and how of screening and the effectiveness of screening programs (4,118). Diabetes screening programs should be comprehensive and should educate about diabetes and provide appropriate interpretation of both positive and negative screening results. It is essential that programs have diagnostic follow-up and refer those with newly diagnosed diabetes for treatment. In addition, individuals with previously diagnosed diabetes encountered during screening activities should be made aware of the importance of glycemic control and follow-up with their health care providers.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Diabetic retinopathy. Screening and prevention of blindness. A doctoral thesis.

Diabetic eye disease is a major cause of blindness in the Western World and remains one of the most serious complications of diabetes mellitus. Retinopathy is the ocular complication of diabetes that most often leads to impaired vision. In recent years laser treatment has been introduced that can significantly decrease the likelihood of blindness in diabetic patients, if the eyes are treated at the appropriate stage of the disease. It remains a public health problem to make sure that each patient is treated at the optimal time in the development of the eye disease. Several types of screening programs have been designed throughout the world to meet this problem. We now report on our active screening program for diabetic eye disease and describe the sight and eye condition of the diabetic patients who have been involved in this program. In 1980, regular eye screening for diabetic retinopathy was initiated at Department of Ophthalmology, Landakot Hospital. The number of diabetic patients seen regularly has increased considerably since then, with 70-80% of type 1 diabetic patients in the country participating in the program in 1990, increasing to over 90% in 1994. About a fifth of type 2 diabetics in the country participated in the program in 1990. The patients have undergone annual eye examinations and fundus photography. Laser treatment is administered for proliferative retinopathy and diabetic macular edema according to the Diabetic Retinopathy Study and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria. In 1990, we embarked on a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of retinopathy and visual impairment of the type 1 and type 2 patients participating in our program. At the time of study, 205 insulin-taking patients, with age at diagnosis of less than 30 years, participated in our screening program. Out of those, retinopathy was present in 106 (52%), patients proliferative retinopathy in 26 (13%) and macular edema in 19 (9%). Visual acuity of 196 patients (96%) was equal or better than 6/12 in their better eye, 6 patients (3%) had 6/18-6/36 in their better eye, and 2 patients (1%) had equal or worse than 6/60 in their better eye, or legally blind. We concluded that the prevalence of retinopathy and visual impairment in type 1 diabetic patients in the country was low compared with other countries. In 1990, out of 245 diabetic patients with Type 2 diabetes, retinopathy was present in 100 patients (41%), proliferative retinopathy had been present in 17 (7%) and 24 (10%) had diabetic macular edema. A total of 224 patients (91%) had visual acuity equal or better than 6/12 in their better eye, 17 patients (7%) with 6/18-6/36 in their better eye, and 4 patients (1.6%) equal or worse than 6/60 in their better eye, or legally blind. We concluded that the prevalence of visual impairment of those type 2 diabetic patients participating in our screening program at the time of study was low compared with population-based studies from other countries. In 1992 we examined ways to make the screening program more efficient by identifying subgroups at low risk for developing eye disease that required treatment and therefore needed less frequent screening. We studied whether diabetic eye disease screening programs could be trimmed by excluding children and examining diabetic patients without retinopathy every other year. We examined all children under the age of 15 at the time of study and went through the files of all patients under age 15 examined from 1980 to 1992 at our diabetic eye screening program. We also followed for two years the type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients found to have no retinopathy in 1990, establishing their retinopathy stage two years later. Our results indicated that diabetic children under the age of 12 do not need regular screening for eye disease. Biannual examinations seemed to suffice in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

A population-based study of school scoliosis screening.

CONTEXT: Although school-based screening programs for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are mandated in 26 states in the United States, few program outcomes data exist regarding the effectiveness of such programs. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a community-based school scoliosis screening program. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study of children who attended kindergarten or first grade at public or private schools in Rochester, Minn, during 1979-1982. Children were followed up until age 19 years or until they left the school district. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of children diagnosed and treated for scoliosis, based on results from scoliosis screenings performed annually in grades 5 through 9, linked to community medical records data; performance characteristics of the screening program. RESULTS: Of the 2242 children screened, 92 (4.1 %) were referred for further evaluation. Of these, 68 (74%) had documented medical or chiropractic evaluation of scoliosis. School screening identified 5 of the 9 children treated for scoliosis but resulted in referrals for another 87 children who were not treated. The cumulative incidence of diagnosed scoliosis in this population was 1.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2%-2.3%) for curves of more than 10 degrees, 1.0% (95% CI, 0.6%-1.5%) for curves of at least 20 degrees, and 0.4% (95% CI, 0.1 %-0.6%) for curves of 40 degrees or more; 0.4% (0.5% of girls and 0.3% of boys) were treated for scoliosis. The positive predictive value of the school screening program for the identification of treated scoliosis was 0.05 (95% CI, 0.048-0.052), with 448 children needed to screen to identify 1 child who subsequently received treatment. The percent positive agreement across consecutive years of screening varied from 7% to 30%. CONCLUSION: In this population, school scoliosis screening identified some children who went on to receive treatment but referred many more who did not. These data should be considered in making decisions regarding school scoliosis screening.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

The screening history of women with cervical cancer in the Rotterdam area.

OBJECTIVE: In order to gain insight into the diagnostic effectiveness of the screening program on cervical cancer in the Rotterdam area, the history of women with cervical cancer was studied. Three questions were asked: (1) What percentage of women were invited to the screening program, and what percentage participated. (2) What percentage of women had had a negative smear within 3 years before cancer was diagnosed, and (3) What percentage of women encountered inadequate follow-up. METHODS: All the cytological and histological results of women who were diagnosed with cervical carcinoma between 1992-1994 were studied. RESULTS: Within 3 years of the diagnosis, 42% of the 165 women with cervical cancer were invited for the cervical screening program. A total of 47% were too old to be invited and 10% were too young. A total of 37% of the women who were invited participated in the screening program. A total of 33 (20%) of 165 women with cervical carcinoma had had a negative smear within three years preceding the diagnosis. For women under 34 years of age this was 41% (n = 7), and for women over 56 years 8% (n = 6). A total of 7% of all women with cervical cancer encountered inadequate follow-up. CONCLUSION: Many women with a diagnosis of cervical cancer are too old to be invited for the cervical screening program. Relatively few of the women with cervical cancer who were invited for the screening program actually participated in this program.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1978

Neonatal thyroid screening.

Recent advances in science and technology have led to the capability of early screening of newborn infants for congenital hypothyroidism. Preliminary screening programs in North America have been established in Quebec and in the Northwestern and Northeastern United States. To date these programs have screened approximately 750,000 newborn infants and detected 163 with congenital hypothyroidism. Preliminary information suggests that the early diagnosis and screening does in fact prevent mental retardation. Such programs appear to be economically sound in that they minimize the impact of congenital hypothyroidism on public budgets for care and rehabilitation of the mentally handicapped.

Canada↗

PubMed2002

Screening for colorectal cancer: the business case.

Colorectal cancer screening is advocated by expert groups based on strong evidence of effectiveness, yet only approximately 1 in 3 Americans are screened. For a screening program to be effective, it is necessary for providers to offer and patients to accept screening, insurers to pay for screening, and provider groups to have monitoring and reminder systems and the expertise and facilities to perform the tests well. Whether and when such screening programs become successful depends on the priorities of healthcare decision makers as much as on the efforts of individual physicians and patients. There are strong arguments for decision makers giving colorectal cancer screening programs high priority: it saves as many lives as other services now in common use; it is a good use of scarce resources, costing less than $20,000 per year of life saved; and members of insurance programs increasingly expect screening benefits and programs, and failure to offer them might lead to member dissatisfaction and malpractice claims. Screening is costly, however, taking into account the cost of screening, follow-up tests, and treatments, and the costs occur many years before the benefits. Programs that are promoted to members but not fully implemented could create disappointment and backlash. Also, this screening can cause medical complications. Nevertheless, successful programs have been developed, proving that they are feasible in today's cost-conscious environment. We believe that colorectal cancer screening programs are integral to any organization purporting to provide high-quality care. Organizations without such programs should give them high priority for implementation.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Screening for the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: cost-effectiveness analysis].

PURPOSE: We investigated the cost-effectiveness of a screening program for the early diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver cirrhosis patients. An HCC screening program in liver cirrhosis patients should be carried out when the HCC makes a major cause of death and considering that: 1) the diagnostic techniques should be highly sensitive and specific; 2) the overall cost of the screening program should not be too high; 3) patient survival should be improved. MATERIAL AND METHODS: March, 1989, to November 1991, 324 Italian patients with liver cirrhosis (201 men and 123 women) whose age ranged 18-83 years (mean +/- SD: 57.2 +/- 11.9) were submitted to US examinations and serum alpha-fetoprotein titration at six months' intervals. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 38 patients (11.7%) developed HCC, with 4.3% incidence per follow-up year. The Cox model identified serum alpha-fetoprotein, Child-Pugh classes B and C and the male gender as independent risk factors for developing HCC. Only 22 of 38 HCC patients (58%) were submitted to resection, orthotopic liver transplantation or local therapy. The 3-year survival of the 38 HCCs diagnosed during the follow-up is 37%. In all, 1800 US examinations and serum alpha-fetoprotein titrations were carried out during this screening program, costing 219,600 US dollars/patient. Each HCC treated successfully (stable disease at 12 months) was diagnosed at a cost of 24,400 US dollars. CONCLUSIONS: Screening all liver cirrhosis patients is a questionable approach because it is very expensive and its benefit in terms of patient survival is poor. More targeted screening programs with definite risk factors should be tested for cost-effectiveness.

Adolescent↗