False-Positive Mammograms Linked to Breast Cancer
Dec. 10, 2010 (San Antonio) -- Women who have false-positive results on a mammogram are at increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to findings of a large Danish study.
Researchers caution that women should not be afraid and skip mammograms, as the actual risk to any given woman is still low.
The study involved nearly 60,000 women participating in the Copenhagen mammography program. As part of the program, all women aged 50 to 69 in the city get an invitation to come in for a mammogram every two years.
Results showed that women who had false positives were 73% more likely to develop breast cancer in the two years before their next mammogram and 33% more likely to develop breast cancer over the next 17 years, compared with women who didn't have false positives.
Still, only 22 of the 5,080 women who had false-positive results developed breast cancer in the next two years, says researcher My von Eular-Helpin, PhD, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Copenhagen.
Women who have false positives may want to make sure they are monitored more closely, perhaps with more frequent mammograms, she says.
A Visual Guide to Breast Cancer
Researchers caution that women should not be afraid and skip mammograms, as the actual risk to any given woman is still low.
The study involved nearly 60,000 women participating in the Copenhagen mammography program. As part of the program, all women aged 50 to 69 in the city get an invitation to come in for a mammogram every two years.
Results showed that women who had false positives were 73% more likely to develop breast cancer in the two years before their next mammogram and 33% more likely to develop breast cancer over the next 17 years, compared with women who didn't have false positives.
Still, only 22 of the 5,080 women who had false-positive results developed breast cancer in the next two years, says researcher My von Eular-Helpin, PhD, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Copenhagen.
Women who have false positives may want to make sure they are monitored more closely, perhaps with more frequent mammograms, she says.
A Visual Guide to Breast Cancer