Table 4.

 Effects and costs of three screening policies for breast cancer

	Current programme	Extension to age 69	Two year interval
Effectiveness (no discounting)
Reduction in mortality (%)*	12.8	16.4	15.3
Deaths prevented/year*	147	188	175
Total deaths prevented	4 079	5 311	4 880
Life years gained	66 187	78 221	81 322
Costs (£m) (6% discounted)
Screening	26.8	34.7	36.9
Diagnosis (screening)	17.4	21.1	19.7
Diagnosis (outside screening)	−11.1	−14.1	−12.9
Primary treatment	6.2	9.1	7.1
Adjuvant therapy	−1.5	−2.1	−1.8
Follow up	2.9	4.0	3.5
Advanced disease	−9.8	−13.1	−11.8
Total	30.9	39.6	40.6
Effectiveness (6% discounted)
Deaths prevented	1 229	1 636	1 457
Life years gained	12 251	15 161	14 987
Cost effectiveness (6% discounted)
Cost per death prevented (£)	25 142	24 205	27 865
Cost per life year gained (£)	2 522	2 611	2 709
Marginal cost effectiveness/life year gained (£)		2 990	3 545

^*In a steady state.