False Positive Mammograms Raise Health Care Use     [04/19/2001; Reuters Health] Screening mammograms that indicate cancer but turn out to be untrue upon followup can lead to an increase in women's use of medical services in the year following the test, study findings suggest. An abnormal result or ``false positive'' occurs in about 10% of screening mammograms in the US, note Dr. Mary B. Barton of Harvard Medical School (news - web sites) in Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues. While a mammogram or X-ray of the breast does not actually diagnose breast cancer, a positive result can lead to further tests that can take weeks or months, Barton said. The study found that a group of almost 500 women with false positive mammograms had 14% more doctor visits for reasons not related to their diagnosis the year after their test. They were also about three times more likely to visit doctors for breast-related concerns compared with a group of women with normal mammograms. While many breast-related visits to doctors were initiated by other physicians, women themselves initiated three times as many of these visits compared with women with normal mammograms. ``I suspect...that for a substantial number of women, having an abnormal mammogram is disrupting to their emotional lives during the (procedure) and perhaps even after the evaluation is complete,'' Barton told Reuters Health. ------------------------------------------------------------ 5) ABSTRACT: Increased Patient Concern After False-positive Mammograms     [04/04/2001; Journal of General Internal Medicine] OBJECTIVE: To measure how often a breast-related concern was documented in medical records after screening mammography according to the mammogram result (normal, or true-negative vs false-positive) and to measure changes in health care utilization in the year after the mammogram. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians document concern about breast cancer in 10% of women who have false-positive mammograms, and subsequent use of health care services are increased among women with false-positive mammogram results. JNCI 3/02 Presentation at the 2002 American Roentgen Ray Society Aftenposten, 3/11/04 BMJ Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.