Key words: breast cancer, screening, delayed diagnosis, multiple lesions, bilateral cancer, interval cancer

"Multiple lesions and delayed diagnosis in breast cancer screening"

The morbidity and mortality of breast cancer have decreased in recent years as a result of the introduction of screening. During screening, however, various spots in the breast may be detected, both before and after referral to the hospital. This thesis shows that these extra spots are often benign. In addition, some women are referred for spots in both the left and right breasts. The thesis shows that women who are referred to the hospital for two breasts are actually more likely to have breast cancer in both breasts. The second part of the thesis deals with delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer in women participating in screening. In some cases, this delay can be even longer than two years since the first reference for the spot that eventually turns out to be breast cancer. This thesis describes the trends in these delays and their causes.

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