False-positive mammograms are discouraging many women from returning for important follow-up screenings, a new study finds.
Researchers say the additional imaging or biopsies performed after a suspicious finding often cause significant anxiety.
They analyzed mammogram data from more than 1 million women, 40 – 73 years of age, who were screened between 2005 and 2017.
77% of patients with a negative result returned for future screenings. But that number dropped to 61% among those with a false-positive finding that required another mammogram in six months and 67% when a biopsy was required.
False-positive results are common, according to the study, and while most recalled patients do not have breast cancer, the lead author says it’s important that they continue screening every one to two years.
She says, “Having a false-positive result, especially if it results in a diagnosis of benign breast disease, is associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future.”
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
Author Affiliations: University of California - Davis Health,Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, University of Vermont, University of Washington, University Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, San Francisco
