Higher risk of breast cancer in women with a false response to mammograms –

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. In order to detect breast cancer as early as possible, mammography screening is performed for all women between the ages of 40 and 74 years at regular intervals.

About three percent of all women who have mammograms get what is called a false positive result. It means that many of them are called for new tests after the first screening, but often no cancer is detected.

False results may affect participation

False results from mammography can cause anxiety and also affect the desire to undergo future screening.

However, previous studies have shown that false positive mammogram results were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in the short term.

Now a new study has shown that those who receive a false positive result have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than other women over the next 20 years. The average risk increase is 60 percent.

The study included nearly 45,000 women with a first false-positive result and about 450,000 women of the same age, but who were not recalled. In addition, the researchers included information on breast density, known as mammographic density, from 12,000 women.

The greatest risk is for women over the age of sixty

The increased risk was higher in women aged 60 to 75 years compared to those aged 40 to 49 years. An increased risk was also observed among women with low breast density.

The risk was also greater during the four to six years following a false positive result, says researcher Xinhe Mao at the Karolinska Institutet.

She highlights the importance of raising awareness of breast cancer among women who receive false-positive mammogram results.

It would be a good idea to develop individual monitoring programs for these women, with close follow-up in the next few years after a false-positive response, says Xinhe Mao.

Currently, radiology and breast cancer screening are developing rapidly, thanks in part to the use of artificial intelligence.

Our study is part of comprehensive work to achieve better screening results and increase participation in the mammography screening program, says researcher Camilla Cheney at the Karolinska Institutet.

The women in the study participated in a mammography screening program in the Stockholm area. Data was also taken from the KARMA study.

Scientific study:

Incidence of breast cancer after a false-positive mammography result: a population-based study with more than 20 years of follow-up.. Gamma Oncology.

communication:

Xinhe Mao, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, [email protected]