Ten-Year Risk of False Positive Screening Mammograms and Clinical Breast Examinations

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 338; no. 16; pp. 1089 - 1096
• Main Authors: Elmore, Joann G, Barton, Mary B, Moceri, Victoria M, Polk, Sarah, Arena, Philip J, Fletcher, Suzanne W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 16.04.1998
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Bayes Theorem; Biological and medical sciences; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Breast Neoplasms - psychology; Cohort Studies; False Positive Reactions; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Mammary gland diseases; Mammography; Mammography - economics; Mammography - statistics & numerical data; Mass Screening - economics; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Physical Examination - economics; Physical Examination - statistics & numerical data; Retrospective Studies; Risk; Tumors; Human; Mammary gland diseases; Carcinoma; Radiodiagnosis; False positive; Risk factor; Female; Clinical investigation; Mammography; Malignant tumor; Mammary gland; Medical screening
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199804163381601

Mammography and clinical breast examination are the two principal means of screening for breast cancer. 1 The effectiveness of breast-cancer screening has been well documented in eight randomized, controlled trials, 2 but there has been less attention to its accuracy in community settings and to the consequences of a false positive result. A national review of community mammography facilities in the United States found that 1 of every 10 screening mammograms gave a false positive result. 3 Equivalent information for clinical breast examination is not available. If a woman undergoes annual screening beginning at the age of 40, she will have had 60 . . .