False-Positive Mammograms May Deter Women from Future Screenings: Research Finds
A major, new study led by the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that women who received a false-positive result that required additional imaging or biopsy were less likely to return for that follow-up screening.
The research was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and analyzed data on more than 3.5 million screening mammograms nationwide performed between 2005-2017 on over 1 million patients aged 40 to 73.
The study found that 77% of women with a negative result from a mammogram returned for subsequent screening. But this percentage dropped to 61% after a false-positive finding requiring another mammogram in six months to confirm the results and 67% if a biopsy was recommended. The impact was even more pronounced for women who received false-positive results on two consecutive mammograms recommending short-interval follow-up -- only 56% returned their next screening mammogram.
The high rate of women who don't return for future screening is concerning to the research team.
The research also showed that Asian and Hispanic/Latinx women were the least likely to return for future screening mammograms after a false positive result, which may contribute to existing health disparities.
False-positive results are common, especially among younger women. They occur in 10-12% of mammograms in women 40-49 years of age. After 10 years of annual screenings, 50-60% of women can expect at least one false-positive, and 7-12% at least one false-positive with a biopsy recommendation.
It is important for women to understand that about 10% of the time, additional imaging is necessary to get a better look at a finding on a screening mammogram.
Reference: Miglioretti, D. L., Abraham, L., Sprague, B. L., Lee, C. I., Bissell, M. C. S., Ho, T.-Q. H., Bowles, E. J. A., Henderson, L. M., Hubbard, R. A., Tosteson, A. N. A., & Kerlikowske, K. (2024). Association between false-positive results and return to screening mammography in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium cohort. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/M24-0
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