Effectiveness of screening for colorectal cancer with a faecal occult-blood test, in Finland.

Background: Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) with guaiac-based faecal occult-blood test (FOBT) has been reported to reduce CRC mortality in randomised trials in the 1990s, but not in routine screening, so far. In Finland, a large randomised study on biennial FOB screening for CRC was gradually nested as part of the routine health services from 2004. We evaluate the effectiveness of screening as a public health policy in the largest population so far reported.

Impact of cancer screening on women's health.

Worldwide, 31% of cancers in women are in the breast or uterine cervix. Prevention of cervical cancer is effective with the use of the cervical Pap smear test if applied in an organized and continuous fashion, including treatment of precancerous lesions. At best such programs have led to a 60% decrease in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the Nordic countries.

Breast self-examination and survival from breast cancer: a prospective follow-up study.

A prospective study was conducted to investigate the possible effect of breast self-examination (BSE) on cause-of-death-specific survival rate of breast cancer patients. Six hundred and four breast cancer patients diagnosed in 1984-1986 in Finland, and applying for breast prostheses, were interviewed about both their BSE practices prior to cancer diagnosis and the actual method of tumor detection. No clear differences were observed in the stage distribution or cause of death-specific five-year survival rates between individuals with different BSE practices.