Five-Year Outcomes of the Danish Cardiovascular Screening (DANCAVAS) Trial

This multicenter, population-based randomized trial, DANCAVAS, examined whether comprehensive cardiovascular screening in men aged 65–74 would reduce all-cause mortality. 46,611 men from 15 Danish municipalities were randomized in a 1:2 ratio to screening invitation vs. control. Screening included coronary artery calcium scoring via CT, aneurysm detection, atrial fibrillation diagnosis, ankle-brachial pressure measurements, and blood tests for diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Of those invited, 62.6% underwent screening. After a median follow-up of 5.6 years, mortality was 12.6% in the invited group vs. 13.1% in controls (HR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90–1.00; P=0.06), not reaching statistical significance. Stroke incidence was slightly reduced (HR: 0.93), but myocardial infarction and other secondary endpoints showed no significant differences. Subgroup analyses suggested greater benefit in men under 70. Screening led to increased statin and antiplatelet prescriptions, though bleeding events were marginally more frequent. The study concluded that despite promising trends, comprehensive cardiovascular screening did not significantly lower overall mortality over five years

This multicenter, population-based randomized trial, DANCAVAS, examined whether comprehensive cardiovascular screening in men aged 65–74 would reduce all-cause mortality. 46,611 men from 15 Danish municipalities were randomized in a 1:2 ratio to screening invitation vs. control. Screening included coronary artery calcium scoring via CT, aneurysm detection, atrial fibrillation diagnosis, ankle-brachial pressure measurements, and blood tests for diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Of those invited, 62.6% underwent screening. After a median follow-up of 5.6 years, mortality was 12.6% in the invited group vs. 13.1% in controls (HR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90–1.00; P=0.06), not reaching statistical significance. Stroke incidence was slightly reduced (HR: 0.93), but myocardial infarction and other secondary endpoints showed no significant differences. Subgroup analyses suggested greater benefit in men under 70. Screening led to increased statin and antiplatelet prescriptions, though bleeding events were marginally more frequent. The study concluded that despite promising trends, comprehensive cardiovascular screening did not significantly lower overall mortality over five years