Compliance With Screening Mammography Guidelines After a False-Positive Mammogram

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Screening mammography is crucial for early breast cancer detection.
• False-positive mammograms can cause patient anxiety and potentially impact future screening behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if women with a false-positive mammogram are less compliant with screening guidelines compared to women with negative mammograms.
• To investigate the impact of prior false-positive mammograms on adherence to recommended screening intervals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 9,385 screening mammograms in women over 40.
• Linear regression and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze time between mammograms and compliance with screening guidelines.
• Adjustments were made for mammogram location and patient age.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in time between mammograms was found based on prior recall status (P = .83).
• No association was observed between compliance with screening guidelines and prior mammogram recall status (ACR P = .398, USPSTF P = .416).
• Noncompliant women previously recalled were more likely to use outpatient offices over mobile units for mammography.

Conclusions:

• A prior false-positive mammogram does not significantly deter compliance with screening mammography guidelines among women who return for subsequent screenings.
• Findings suggest that false-positive results do not negatively influence adherence to recommended screening schedules.