1. ¹Istituto Oncologico Veneto, Padova, Italy
2. ²Clinical and Descriptive Epidemiology Unit-CSPO-Research Institute of the Tuscany Region, Firenze, Italy
3. ³Parma Cancer Registry, Parma, Italy
4. ⁴Romagna Cancer Registry, Forlì, Italy
5. ⁵Modena Cancer Registry, Modena, Italy
6. ⁶Ferrara Cancer Registry, Ferrara, Italy
7. ⁷Epidemiology Unit-ASL 2, Perugia, Italy
8. ⁸Reggio-Emilia Cancer Registry, Reggio-Emilia, Italy
9. ⁹University of Turin-Department of Biological Sciences and Human Oncology, Turin, Italy
10. ¹⁰Screening program-Emilia-Romagna Region Health Department, Bologna, Italy
11. ¹¹Epidemiology Unit-CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
12. ¹²Department of Oncology-ARNAS Ascoli, Palermo, Italy
13. ¹³Cancer Registry and Human Pathology Department-Arezzo Hospital, Ragusa, Italy

Correspondence: Dr E Paci, E-mail: e.paci@cspo.it

¹⁴see Appendix

Received 26 June 2006; Revised 21 August 2006; Accepted 23 August 2006; Published online 17 October 2006.

Abstract

We enrolled all 2162 in situ and 21 148 invasive cases of breast cancer in 17 areas of Italy, diagnosed in 1997–2001. Rates of early cancer increased by 13.7% in the screening age group (50–69 years), and breast conserving surgery by 24.6%. Advanced cancer rates decreased by 19.4%, and mastectomy rates by 24.2%. Service screening did not increase mastectomy rates in the study population.