For every 1,000 women screened over 25 years, approximately 3 to 8 lives are saved due to early treatment, but 11 to 15 women may experience overdiagnosis, where cancers that would not have caused harm are detected and treated.

Treatment at certified breast centers improves outcomes, and women treated outside these centers face higher mortality rates.

German Minister of Health Nina Warken emphasizes that the benefits of screening outweigh the minimal radiation risks, supported by high standards of radiation protection in German medicine.

International studies estimate that 11 to 15 out of 1,000 women might receive overdiagnosis after 25 years of regular screening.

The evaluation accounts for confounding factors such as healthier women being more likely to participate, emphasizing the high evidential value of the findings.

Currently, about 50% of women aged 50 to 75 participate in the free, biennial screening program introduced 20 years ago, which targets early detection and has led to higher tumor detection rates before they become palpable.

The screening involves biannual mammograms capable of detecting small, non-palpable tumors, improving early diagnosis and treatment outcomes, although advanced metastatic breast cancer remains largely incurable.

Participation in the screening program, which invites women every two years, is about 50%, with reasons including discomfort, radiation concerns, false positives, and overdiagnosis.

A comprehensive 13-year study in Germany confirms that mammography screening significantly reduces breast cancer mortality among women aged 50 to 69, with a 20 to 30 percent decrease in risk.

The study, analyzing data from 2009 to 2018, aligns with international findings that women participating in screening have a 20-30% lower death rate over ten years compared to non-participants.

There is ongoing discussion about expanding screening to women aged 45 to 49, as evidence suggests benefits in reducing mortality in this younger group, potentially lowering the screening age from 50 to 45.

Advances in breast cancer therapies since the 1990s have contributed to the overall decline in mortality, with some experts suggesting the benefits of screening could be even greater than current data indicates.