Breast cancer screening (BCS) benefits and harms are debated.
No prior French studies explored women's preferences for BCS trade-offs.
This research addresses the gap in understanding patient perspectives.
Purpose:
To elicit French women's preferences and trade-offs between BCS benefits and harms.
To quantify acceptable levels of overdiagnosis and false-positive results.
To inform decision-making processes regarding breast cancer screening.
Summary:
A discrete choice experiment surveyed 812 French women on their willingness to accept overdiagnosis and false positives to avoid one breast cancer death.
Women accepted an average of 14.1 overdiagnosis cases and 47.8 false positives per death avoided.
Preferences were heterogeneous, indicating sensitivity to both screening benefits and harms.
Impact:
Highlights the heterogeneity in women's preferences for breast cancer screening.
Emphasizes the need for balanced information to support informed decision-making.
Suggests that respecting individual preferences is crucial for ethical screening practices.