Mammography screening arrives in Germany
The first certified breast cancer screening centres are opening in the German federal state of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW).
The Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen (regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians) are inviting women aged 50-69 years for mammography screening and, slowly but surely, the appointment books of the centres that perform this early detection examination are filling.
Dr Andrea Jachtmann
What response rate would make possible a valid assessment of the programme? ‘We will be quite happy with a 30% participation rate, because that would cover our costs,’ Dr Jachtmann responded. ‘Don’t forget, the mammography centres receive no external funding. In terms of data analysis we are obviously trying to have an examination rate that’s as high as possible. We need a 50% response rate and we are aiming for 70%.’
Hologic’s SecurViewDX
This means cooperation with the breast centres. ‘Due to our location we are currently linked to breast centres in Mönchengladbach and Krefeld. The centres in Neuss and Düsseldorf are also nearby. Certainly, the women concerned will still have a free choice of physician. They don’t have to go to a breast centre but may undergo surgery in a hospital of their choice, but you normally want the same level of quality with your therapy as you received for diagnostics, and the breast centres can guarantee this level of quality.
Probably, in the future, not all hospitals will be allowed to perform breast surgery. ‘To be able to carry the label breast centre, 150 new breast cancer surgeries must be performed annually,’ she explained. ‘Consequently, every woman who has breast cancer will opt for a breast centre. Eventually, this may become mandatory.’
* Supplied by service and distributation partner for Germany and Austria Medicor Medical Supplies, Kerpen, Germany.
This article was published on 05/01/2006