The influence of a false-positive mammogram on a woman's subsequent behaviour for detecting breast cancer

The aim was to investigate the influence of undergoing further examinations due to a false-positive mammogram on women's re-attendance at the next scheduled screening and their frequency of breast self-examination (BSE). Study participants included 517 women (62% response) recalled due to findings on screening mammograms indicating possible malignancies, and a matched control group of 285 women (68% response) with normal mammograms. Participants completed five and three questionnaires, respectively, during the 2 years following screening participation. While the groups did not differ significantly in screening re-attendance, women recalled due to false-positive mammograms reported significantly higher levels of anxiety related to the next screening than did women with normal mammograms. At the 1-year assessment, women with false-positive mammograms reported a significantly higher frequency of BSE than did women with normal mammograms. The present results indicate that being recalled due to a false-positive mammogram does not seem to negatively affect screening re-attendance, and may have a positive impact on BSE.