The study of false positives, abnormal results that turn out not to be cancer is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers' interest in performing the study stemmed from the concerns and anxiety expressed by patients over abnormal screening results.
Additional testing can be stressful, time-consuming, and costly.
Earlier research had shown that, nationally, about one mammogram in 10 produces a false-positive. They determined that one woman in two will receive a false-positive result after having annual mammograms for a decade, and almost 20 percent of women will undergo a biopsy. The study also indicates that almost 25 percent of women will have a false-positive result at some point in 10 years of clinical breast exams. The study was conducted at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a large health maintenance organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School. There's a high chance of a woman having an alarming false-positive episode.