Women informed of over-detection risk less likely to want mammography

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the journal The Lancet, researchers have found that women who are better informed about the risk of over-detection and over-diagnosis associated with mammography screening are less likely to have a breast cancer screening.

Mammography screening can prevent deaths associated with breast cancer, but most women are unaware that the screening can lead to over-diagnosis and overtreatment.

For the study, researchers randomly assigned 879 women aged 48-50 years who were about to become candidates for mammography screening to receive decision support materials with or without over-detection information.

Results showed that compared with controls, more women provided with over-detection information had adequate knowledge about breast cancer screening and made an informed choice about whether to be screened, had less favorable attitudes towards breast cancer screening, and had fewer intentions to be screened for breast cancer. 

The findings suggest the importance of giving women clear decision support materials so that they can make more informed decisions about whether they should receive a mammography screening.