Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), population-based case-controlled studies, and demonstration projects were eligible for inclusion in the review.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of mammography alone, or mammography plus breast physical examination were eligible for inclusion in the review.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
No inclusion criteria relating to any reference standard test were specified. The reference standard used in included studies was follow-up at one and/or two years.
Participants included in the review
No inclusion criteria relating to the participants in primary studies were specified. Included participants were women between the ages of 30 and 74 years
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies were included if enough information was reported to calculate true positive and false positive rates for the first round of screening. False-positives were defined as cases in whom a further evaluation for cancer following referral was negative. Accuracy measures were calculated at one and two years, and in women over 50 years of age compared with younger women. Percentage compliance was also reported in the review.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.