Breast Arterial Calcification in the Mammogram Report: The Patient Perspective

The purpose of this study was to determine patient attitudes about mammographic reporting of breast arterial calcification (BAC), result communication, and action.

A self-administered survey was created for this project and was offered to mammography patients presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography over a 1-month period.

Among those who accepted questionnaires, 61.8% (419/678) responded with varying response rates to specific questions. A large percentage (95.8% [363/379]) preferred to have BAC reported. All 107 patients who were unaware of a personal history of heart disease wanted notification about BAC. There were 552 communication responses from 354 women. Among these responses, 62.5% (345/552) indicated a preference for notification from the radiology department by letter or telephone call. Among those who had a single preference, 76.6% (180/235) preferred notification by the radiology department in the patient results letter or by telephone call. Of those who chose one action option, 87.4% (181/207) indicated that they would undergo coronary artery CT before making a decision. Among those who selected multiple options, 53.2% (272/511) expressed a desire for coronary artery CT before making a decision. Age, level of education, and race were not associated with patients' attitudes toward BAC.

Patients had an overwhelming preference to be informed about BAC found at mammography. Given the ease of reporting BAC and the calls by preventive cardiologists to have the information, the widespread adoption of BAC reporting on mammography reports can promote prevention, diagnosis, and if needed, treatment of cardiovascular disease.