Improved Survival Seen for Stage IV Breast Cancer Detected Via Screening

Follow Drugslib on

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 25, 2026.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2026 -- Screening detection is associated with increased survival rates even for stage IV breast cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 19 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Amy Tickle, Ph.D., from King’s College London, and colleagues examined whether breast cancer survival improvements with screening are explained solely by detection at early stages and whether mortality can be predicted using stage and diagnosis date alone. The analysis included electronic health record data from 817,218 women in Denmark (2010 through 2022; 32,827 with breast cancer).

The researchers found that survival differences between symptomatic and screen-detected cases were minimal for stages I to III but reached 40 percent at stage IV. Five-year net survival for stage IV screen-detected women (74.7 percent) resembled stage IIIc symptomatic survival in never-screened women (72.6 percent). There was a strong association between survival from stage IV breast cancer and treatment, with median survival of 4.4 to 6.0 years with surgery, 1.6 to 2.2 years with nonsurgical treatment, and 0.03 to 0.13 years with no treatment. Roughly two-thirds of screen-detected patients (67 percent) received surgery versus 23 percent of never-screened and 27 percent of symptomatic ever-screened patients.

"There is understandably a lot of fear around cancer being found late, but our findings provide reassurance that long-term survival is still possible when it is found during screening," Tickle said in a statement. "Our research highlights the importance of screening programs and we hope this encourages everyone who is invited to attend their appointment."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-02-26 02:01

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords