Study designs of evaluations included in the review
There were no restrictions on study design. To be eligible, the studies had to include at least 100 participants.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies were eligible for inclusion in the review if they examined the practice of routine surveillance mammography and its impact on disease outcomes; addressed other surveillance strategies for breast tumour recurrence; or described follow-up methods after breast cancer treatment.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
The authors did not specify any inclusion criteria for the reference standard. The studies included in the review used long-term follow-up to assess disease recurrence.
Participants included in the review
Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included women who had undergone breast conserving therapy for breast cancer (local excision and radiotherapy). The mean age at diagnosis ranged from 41 to 59 years. Women with a primary diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ were excluded.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The authors did not specify any outcomes that the studies had to assess in order to be eligible for the review. The main outcomes assessed were cancer recurrence and detection rate using routine mammography.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors retrieved and assessed all studies on relevant topics, with input from other experts.