Clinical trial · Interventional
Improving Breast Cancer Screening Uptake Through Tailored Reminder Letters
Equity in Breast Cancer Screening in Flanders: the Necessity of Tailored Reminders for Women With Low Socioeconomic Status
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The goal of this trial is to learn whether a culturally and linguistically tailored reminder letter can increase participation in the Flemish Breast Cancer Screening Program among women who previously did not attend screening. The study also examines whether the effect differs between socioeconomic groups. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does a tailored reminder letter increase participation among previous non-attenders? * Does the effect differ between women with lower and higher socioeconomic status? Researchers compare two groups: * Intervention group: receive the standard invitation letter plus an additional tailored reminder letter. * Control group: receive the standard invitation letter only. Participation in screening within 40 days of the invitation is measured using the program's registry. Participants are women aged 50-69 years who had previously been invited but had never attended screening. The reminder letter is sent as part of routine screening communication, and no additional medical procedures are involved.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer Screening | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Health Behavior | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Mammography | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tailored reminder letter | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Tailored reminder letter
- description
- Participants allocated to the intervention arm receive two mailed communications: (1) the standard Breast Cancer Screening Program invitation letter, sent approximately three weeks before the scheduled screening appointment (±4 days); (2) an additional culturally and linguistically tailored reminder letter, sent approximately one week before the scheduled appointment (±4 days). The tailored reminder letter is specifically designed to address linguistic and cultural barriers that may affect screening participation.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Tailored reminder letter
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Standard of care
- description
- Participants allocated to the control arm receive the standard BCSP invitation letter only, approximately three weeks before the scheduled screening appointment (±4 days), with no additional reminder. The content of the standard invitation letter is publicly available on the website of the Centre for Cancer Detection (CvKO).
Primary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 50 Years
- Maximum age
- 69 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria Individual-level criteria: * Aged 50-69 years * Legally registered as female in the Belgian national population registry * No history of breast cancer in the previous 10 years * No bilateral mastectomy in the previous 10 years * Invited for mammography between April and June 2024 * Classified as a non-attender, defined as (1) having received at least one previous screening invitation, and (2) never having participated in the screening program. Area-level criteria: To increase the inclusion of socioeconomically vulnerable individuals while maintaining representation from the broader screening population, participants are selected from the list of individuals invited at mammographic units located in municipalities with high deprivation scores, defined as meeting at least two of the following criteria: * Average income per capita \< EUR 20,000 * Belgian Multiple Index of Deprivation score \< 6 * Proportion of residents eligible for increased reimbursement for medical expenses \> 12%. Exclusion Criteria * Actively opted out of the screening program at the time of the study * Invited for screening in the previous year * Underwent mammographic screening in the previous year
References
Publications (2)
- BACKGROUNDFerrari A, Van Bos L, Talboom S, van de Veerdonk W, D'haenens W, Pak M, Descan M, Parmentier S, Van Collie L, Sibiet P, Goossens M, Van Hal G. From barriers to participation: co-creating an effective reminder letter for breast cancer screening among underserved women in Flanders. Arch Public Health. 2025 May 14;83(1):132. doi: 10.1186/s13690-025-01591-7. PMID 40369659
- BACKGROUNDFerrari A, Jael Herrera D, Van De Veerdonk W, D'haenens W, Ruiz Alejos A, Yimer NB, Orwa S, Van Bos L, Talboom S, Ding L, Goossens M, Van Hal G. Advancing Mammographic Screening Among Underserved Groups: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Strategies to Increase Breast Cancer Screening Uptake. Public Health Rev. 2025 Apr 4;46:1607873. doi: 10.3389/phrs.2025.1607873. eCollection 2025. PMID 40256640