The Centre for Population Screening carries out the population screening. They use your data and results of the screening test. This page tells you more about this and how to object if you do not want your data to be used.

This page answers the most frequently asked questions about breast cancer and the population screening. Also watch the video ‘4 Questions about the breast screening test’ on this page. If you have not found the answer to your question here, please check our website or contact your GP for personal advice.

Do you have any questions, comments or would you like to know more about the National Programme for Breast Cancer Screening? This page will tell you where you can go. You will also find information on how to submit a complaint if you are not satisfied with the screening test, or the relevant information.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. About 1 in 7 women in the Netherlands develops breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Every year in the Netherlands, more than 3,000 women die from breast cancer (in 2024: 3,023 women). Women are more likely to develop breast cancer after the age of 50. 80% of women with breast cancer are older than 50. On this page, you can read more about the risk of breast cancer by age, hereditary predisposition and other risk factors.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that originates in the breast. Over time, this tumour can spread to other parts of the body. Women over the age of 50 are particularly at risk of developing breast cancer.

Research shows that the benefits of population screening are greater than the disadvantages for the overall target population. For you personally, this may be different. You decide whether or not you want to participate. This page contains information for your to consider, and the main advantages and disadvantages of participating. If you are unsure whether you can participate in the population screening, please contact your GP.

The government offers women between 50 and 75 years the opportunity to participate in the National Programme for Breast Cancer Screening free of charge. Sometimes additional examination is needed, for example if the X-rays are difficult to assess or if an abnormality is found. This page tells you about the costs of any additional examination and what this means for you.

The results of the breast screening tests are called BIRADS. BI-RADS 0 means that the population screening X-rays do not provide enough information for a final result. The radiologists cannot exactly determine what is visible in the image. Further examination is needed. That is why you will be referred to the radiology department in a hospital for further assessment. At the hospital, the radiologist will take additional X-rays or perform an ultrasound scan. This page tells you about the potential causes of any abnormalities in the image.

Sometimes breast X-rays do not provide enough information for a valid assessment. In that case, you will be referred to the hospital for further examination. When an abnormality is found in the breast X-ray, you will also be further examined by the specialist at the hospital.