Evaluating Population-Based Screening Mammography Programs Internationally

This report describes the purpose and activities of the International Breast Cancer Screening Network (IBSN), a voluntary consortium of countries that focuses on collaborative research to identify and promote efficient and effective approaches to breast cancer control worldwide through population-based screening mammography. Sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the IBSN was established in 1988 with 11 participating countries. By 2005, membership had grown to 27 countries. Recent IBSN efforts have involved gathering information on program organization and quality assurance activities, evaluating measures and methodologies for assessing screening mammography performance and outcomes, and examining the information that programs are providing to women as a means of facilitating informed decision-making about the benefits and risks of screening mammography. The ongoing IBSN effort demonstrates that, despite marked differences in health care systems, international collaborative work can contribute new knowledge to the monitoring and evaluation of organized, population-based screening mammography programs, and can identify potential areas for improvement in screening performance in practice.