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Is mammography painful? A multicenter patient survey
P C Stomper1, D B Kopans, N L Sadowsky
1Department of Radiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115.
Archives of Internal Medicine
|March 1, 1988
Summary
Most women experience no or only mild discomfort during mammography screenings. Severe pain is rare, and the procedure is unlikely to deter women from future breast cancer screening.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Women's Health
Background:
- Anecdotal reports suggest mammography causes pain, leading to anxiety for some women.
- Fear of discomfort can be a barrier to breast cancer screening adherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively assess the level of discomfort and pain experienced by asymptomatic women during mammography.
- To quantify the prevalence of different levels of discomfort during screening mammograms.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted with 1847 asymptomatic women across seven breast-imaging centers.
- Participants used a six-point scale to record their experience, ranging from no discomfort to severe pain.
Main Results:
- 88% of women reported no (49%) or mild (39%) discomfort.
- Only 9% experienced moderate discomfort, with 1% reporting severe discomfort and 1% moderate pain.
- No participant experienced pain severe enough to reconsider future mammograms.
Conclusions:
- Mammography causes minimal to no physical discomfort for the vast majority of women.
- Significant pain during mammography is uncommon, alleviating a common concern for screening.