Research shows some women in their 40s prefer to delay breast cancer screening

A considerable proportion of women aged 39 to 49 years prefer to delay breast cancer screening, especially after a decision aid (DA) intervention, according to a study published online July 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Laura D. Scherer, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, and colleagues examined breast cancer screening preferences among women aged 39 to 49 years in a pre-post survey with a breast cancer screening decision aid (DA) intervention. The analyses included 495 women without a history of breast cancer or known BRCA1/2 gene mutation.

The researchers found that 27.0 percent of participants preferred to delay screening (versus having a mammography at their current age) before viewing the DA compared with 38.5 percent after the DA. The number never wanting mammography did not increase (5.4 percent before the DA versus 4.3 percent after).

The risk for breast cancer was lower for participants who preferred to delay screening than those who preferred not to delay. Overall, 37.4 percent of participants reported that the information about over-diagnosis was surprising compared with 27.2 and 22.9 percent for information about false-positive results and screening benefits, respectively.

"These data emphasize the importance of reducing barriers to receiving desired care as well as informing women about mammography benefits, harms, and personal cancer risk estimates as a regular part of screening consultations," the authors write.

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