The mammography screening programme introduced 20 years ago significantly contributes to reducing breast cancer mortality – this is the result of a comprehensive new study, which was presented in Berlin on July 9, 2025.
The study results show that among the women who participated in the screening, breast cancer deaths decreased by between 20 and 30 percent. Thus, one in four breast cancer deaths in the eligible group can be prevented.
Data from the years 2009 to 2018 were evaluated for the study.
These evaluations impressively prove that the benefit of mammography screening for participating women is significantly greater than the very low radiation risk during the examination.
Annual Evaluation Report 2023
In 2023, 3.1 million women took part in the screening programme for the early detection of breast cancer. Through the early detection programme, carcinomas could be discovered at prognostically favorable stages. In total, nearly 19,500 carcinomas were detected in 2023, with 82 % having no lymph node involvement and 80 % of the carcinomas being no larger than 2 cm.
When women participate in the early detection examination regularly and within the specified screening interval, the benefit of early detection is most clearly visible. The present report contains, in addition to cross-sectional presentations of the results at the level of the screening units, also longitudinal considerations of selected parameters depending on the frequency and regularity of participation.
All the results can be found in the Annual Evaluation Report 2023.
Annual Quality Assurance Report 2023
In the year covered by the report, 2023, a good 5.9 million women were invited to a screening. 52 % of these women accepted the invitation, which means that 3.1 million women were examined. Around 126,000 of these women were invited to come to discuss the assessment as at least one of the two doctors responsible for the reading had detected an abnormality. In the case of 91,000 of the women invited back, it was possible to eliminate the suspicion by means of carrying out further examination using imaging. Tissue was removed by biopsy from 35,000 women for the purpose of further histopathological tests. Around 19,500 carcinomas were detected in this way. The detection rate for breast cancer is 6.2 carcinomas per 1,000 women examined.
In the reporting year 2023, the second review of the German Mammography Screening Programme was once again rated as "excellent." The routine recertification was carried out based on extensive data collected per reference center and subsequent on-site visits regarding their professional performance, physical-technical quality assurance, training, leadership qualities, and organizational aspects. Once again, the exceptional work of the reference centers was highlighted.
Read all the results in the Annual Quality Assurance Report 2023. (In German only.)
The business year 2025 was marked by an extension to the age limit in the programme. Since the beginning of 2025, women aged 70 to 75 have been systematically invited for the first time (based on registration data) and participated in the programme for the first time on a statistically significant scale. The implementation required, and still requires, great efforts from all parties involved, especially the screening units, in terms of organization and legal aspects. This new challenge was very well managed by all parties involved in the MSP. The Cooperative Mammography Association will continue to make active contributions to further developing the programme.
Mammo Report: Facts and figures relating to the German mammography screening programme (in German only)
Performance parameters and early indicators are evaluated annually for the German mammography screening programme. The most important of these are the invitation and participation rates, the re-invitation rate, the breast cancer detection rate and the stage distribution.
Programme description - Programmbeschreibung
In 2002, the German parliament decided unanimously to introduce an organised breast cancer screening programme in Germany. Just three years later, the first screening units started their work. Since 2009, all women in Germany between the ages of 50 and 69 have been invited to take part in the screening programme every two years. There are some basic differences between an organised large-scale early-detection programme and an individual healthcare examination. The mammography screening programme involves invitations being sent out to all eligible women (on the basis of data provided by the Citizens’ Registration Office, Einwohnermeldeamt). In other words, the screening programme addresses the broad population. In addition, the mammography screening programme is subject to strict quality assurance and is evaluated regularly.
Here you will find the annual evaluation reports from 2005 onwards and the file on background incidence 2016 as well as the erratum on the invitation rate 2015.
Here you will find the annual reports on quality assurance from 2012 onwards and the associated errata (Erratum to figures in the 2019 and 2020 annual reports).
Here you will find the annual reports from 2015 onwards.