Spain Approves Extending Breast Cancer Screening to Women Aged 45 to 74
The Interterritorial Council of Spain's National Health System approved on October 23 a draft ministerial order extending population breast cancer screening from the current ages of 50 to 69 to women aged 45 to 74, adding the 45-49 and 70-74 age groups. The Ministry of Health said the move follows European recommendations.
The screening test remains mammography, generally every two years; during the initial rollout, the new age groups may first be invited at three-year intervals before moving to two years.
The extension will be phased in. Once the order enters into force, the autonomous communities and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, in coordination with the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA) and the civil service mutual funds, must have begun adjusting their programmes within three years, and within six years the invitation coverage of the new age groups should approach 100 percent.
The ministry said the same council session also updated other parts of the National Health System's common services portfolio, including improvements to orthoprosthetic provision and a review of the composition of certain nutritional products.
Source: Ministry of Health, Spain
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乳腺X线摄影图像。Cerevisae 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: A mammography image. Photo by Cerevisae, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
