Are too many breast cancers missed at assessment?

Interval breast cancers presenting between screening episodes are an inevitable occurrence but their number should to be kept to a minimum. The objectives of this study were to ascertain the proportion of interval cancers developing in women who had been recalled for assessment after their initial screen and to review the assessment process. Interval cancers presenting after false negative assessment accounted for a small proportion (6%) but some cancers may have been diagnosed earlier if image guided FNAC or core biopsy had been included in the assessment process.