The Best Way To Decrease
Post-Mammogram Stress
(April 11,
2004, Medindia Health News)
Now, a new study recommends
radiologists examine the initial mammogram immediately so any follow-up
tests can be performed in the same office visit. Between 5 percent and 11
percent of all screening mammograms are abnormal, meaning a woman must come
back for a follow-up mammogram. Many abnormal mammograms turn out to be
false-positives, meaning they do not result in a breast cancer diagnosis
within one year. Even when follow-ups and evaluations rule out breast
cancer, women frequently experience high levels of stress and anxiety.
Women who took part in the study received one of two interventions, both
interventions or no intervention. One intervention consisted of educational
materials - including a video and a pamphlet - that explained their breast
cancer risk, the reasons for abnormal mammograms, and coping strategies for
dealing with the results. For the second intervention, a radiologist
examined the mammogram so that any follow-up tests needed, except for
biopsies, could be performed during the same visit.
Three weeks after their false-positive mammograms, women who had to wait
several days to receive their results reported more stress and anxiety than
the women who had received immediate results. Also, more than half of the
women who had the immediate follow-ups reported their mammograms had been
normal. Researchers say this suggests that the immediate completion of
follow-up may have minimized the effect of a false-positive reading to the
extent that they never perceived their mammogram as being abnormal.
Thus researchers conclude that rapid evaluation of mammogram results may be
a more effective approach to decreasing anxieties than trying to change
emotional reactions to abnormal mammograms.