Faulty breast cancer diagnoses are discouraging women from getting future mammograms, a new study finds.
More than 3.5 million mammogram screening tests were collected from women ages 40 to 73 between 2005 and 2017 for a cohort study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The data, collected from 177 facilities participating in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, revealed that just 61% of women return for a mammogram after a false positive reading, compared to 77% who return after receiving accurate, negative results.
The study’s results are cause for alarm, doctors say – especially since testing can become a matter of life or death. The American College of Radiology has found that, since 1990, mammograms have reduced death rates from breast cancer by 40%. “The finding raises concerns about the potential unintended consequence of false-positive results, where women may avoid screening mammograms in the future,” the study’s lead investigator, Diana Miglioretti, told U.S. News and World Report.
Several factors can increase the likelihood of receiving a false-negative test, including being younger in age and having more dense breast tissue, the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation states. Researchers at Penn Medicine, meanwhile, revealed that COVID-19 vaccines can also impact mammogram results, since they can cause swollen lymph nodes, a symptom associated with breast cancer.
Breast cancer is currently the second leading cause of death in women, the American Cancer Society reports, and it affects women of all races. White women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer overall, while Black women have a higher chance of dying from the disease at any age.
Breast cancer is more prevalent in women ages 50 and over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning women in this age range should be especially vigilant – and have routine screenings regardless of past results.
Indeed, getting regular mammograms is also one of the best ways to stay on top of one’s health, regardless of age — as they could potentially save the 40,000 lives lost to breast cancer each year. “It is important for women with false-positive results to continue screening every one to two years,” Miglioretti adds.
