Odds of False-Positive Mammograms During 10 Years of Screenings

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends biennial screening mammography starting at age 50 unless a woman is at high risk for breast cancer (JW Womens Health Nov 16 2009). Despite this recommendation, many patients request, and many providers and societies continue to recommend, earlier and more frequent screening. In this study, researchers used data from a breast cancer surveillance consortium to model the cumulative probability of a false-positive screening mammogram under differing screening approaches. More than 160,000 women were included in the registry.

During 10 years, the adjusted cumulative probabilities of a false-positive mammography result were 61% for annual screening and 42% for biennial screening, regardless of whe…