Survey Determines Impact Of False-positive Cancer Tests

“We know that having a false alarm at a breast cancer screening causes significant negative psychological harm,” says Dr. John Brodersen, co-author of the study. “Unfortunately, previous studies of the long-term psychological consequences of these false alarms have used inadequate measures.”

The survey, developed by Brodersen and his colleagues, focuses on six psychosocial dimensions; anxiety, behavioral impact, sense of dejection, impact on sleep, breast examination and sexuality. The survey showed that women who had an abnormal screening mammography later confirmed to be false-positive were negatively influenced in all six categories.

“This is an urgent issue to be addressed, because one-in-four women following the European Union-recommended biannual breast cancer screening program over a 20-year period will experience a false-positive screening mammogram,” says Brodersen. “Thousands of women experience false-positive screening results. Therefore, women should be better informed both before breast cancer screening and during the screening process. This should include a discussion about the implications of a false-positive result, as well as the benefits of early detection of breast cancer.”