False-Positive Mammogram Findings Tied to Apprehension, Willingness for Future Screening

New research has shown that mammograms with false-positive findings were linked with increased short-term anxiety for women, and more women with false-positive results reported that they were more apt to undergo future breast cancer screening.

A percentage of women who undergo routine mammogram screening will experience false-positive findings that necessitate further evaluation to rule out breast cancer.

The authors, Anna N.A. Tosteson, ScD, from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (Lebanon, NH, USA), and colleagues reported quality-of-life (QoL) results from the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST). The telephone survey was performed shortly after screening at 22 sites and 1,226 randomly selected women with positive and negative mammogram results were enrolled. Follow-up interviews were obtained from 1,028 of the women (534 with negative results, 494 with false-positive results).

Among women with a false-positive mammogram, 50.6% reported anxiety as moderate or higher and as extreme by 4.6%. However, that did not affect plans by women to undergo screening within the next two years. More women with false-positive results (25.7%) compared with women with negative findings (14.2%) reported that they were “more likely” to undergo future breast cancer screening.

“Our finding of time-limited harm after false-positive screening mammograms is relevant for clinicians who counsel women on mammographic screening and for screening guideline development groups,” the researchers noted.

Related Links:
Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial