OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of mammography for breast cancer screening in India 

METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in all the available scientific databases - Cochrane library, MEDLINE, PUBMED Science Direct, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Google Scholar for relevant studies. We identified 31 studies and literature filter started by scanning titles; abstracts as well as the content of the articles according to Inclusion criteria; finally 12 studies were included in quantitative synthesis (Meta-analysis). We estimated risk of bias using Cochrane collaborating guidelines. Review Manager 5.2 was used to do the data analysis.

RESULTS: The 12 included studies contained data from 4,074691 participants. The risk ratio was 0.76 (95% confidence Interval, CI: 0.72, 0.80) in favour of mammography versus no screening in breast cancer. Cost effectiveness of mammography is about Rs.6329/life year gained.

CONCLUSIONS: Annual screening of female population above 30 years of age could reduce breast cancer associated mortality by mainly due to early detection of breast cancer detection, and is a cost-effective strategy associated with an excellent social return on investment on this technology.