Introduction: The organized breast cancer screening programme has started in Hungary at the end of 2001.
Aim: To assess the screening rate, the cost of screening and treatment and to calculate the expected epidemiological and economic gain and cost-effectiveness of mass-screening programme.
Methods: The data derive from the financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary from 2001. To assess the screening rate the authors used the code "No. 42400 mammography screening" of outpatient care. The cost of treatment includes the cost of outpatient care, the acute and chronic inpatient care, the subsidies of the prices of medicines and the expenditure on disability to work (including sickness-pay). The expected benefits of the screening programme were modeled with changing mortality decrease for a 10 years interval.
Results: The screening rates of women aged 45-65 for 2001 and 2002 were 7% and 21.7%, respectively. The cost of treatment of breast cancer was around 8.6 billion Hungarian forints (29,939,868 USD, 33,426,321 EUR) in 2001. In the age-group 45-65 with 10% mortality decline 509 lives (net present value, NPV: 365), with 20% mortality decline 1.074 (NPV: 772) lives and with 30% mortality decline 1.582 (NPV: 1.139) lives can be saved during a 10 years screening programme. The cost of one life saved varies between 5.7 million forints (19,876 USD, 22,190 EUR)/life saved and 17.8 million forints (62,047 USD, 69,273 EUR)/life saved according to the mortality decline. The cost of one life year saved varies between 271,000 forints (946 USD, 1057 EUR)/life year saved and 847,000 forints (2955 USD, 3299 EUR)/life years saved.
Conclusion: The implementation of organized breast cancer screening can lead to cost savings in Hungary. The cost-effectiveness of breast cancer screening seems to be acceptable for purchaser.