The Radiology Business Journal (12/20, Thakar) reports that research suggests “women prefer to receive their mammogram screenings annually rather than biennially because they believe it causes less anxiety.” The research was presented at RSNA 2017. In a video interview, lead author Ghizlane Bouzghar, MD, said that the US Preventive Services Task Force, “as well as the American Cancer Society and the [American College of Radiology] still acknowledge the benefits of annual screening mammography in saving women’s lives.”
Aunt Minnie (12/15, Yee) reported that research suggests “many women don’t feel completely informed about their surgical options for breast cancer treatment.” The findings “suggest that women need access to consistent, reliable information about surgical breast cancer treatment in a variety of formats, wrote” the researchers. The research was published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Aunt Minnie (12/15) reported that research suggests nearly “10% of women don’t receive radiation therapy after breast conservation surgery, although it is proved to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.” The findings were published the Journal of Surgical Research.
Aunt Minnie (12/15, Yee) reports that “most women tend to overestimate their risk of breast cancer,” and “if they do receive a report of a suspicious finding, they would rather have it biopsied immediately than undergo follow-up imaging a short time later,” according to a survey of 2,747 women presented at the RSNA 2017 meeting in Chicago. The study found, “At baseline, women estimated their breast cancer risk to be 27%, more than twice the average woman’s breast cancer risk of 12.4%.” Given a hypothetical scenario of an abnormality on a mammogram, “women’s anticipated regret was greater with follow-up imaging than with biopsy, while their anticipated relief was less with follow-up than with biopsy.”
On its website, CBS News (12/13) reports that physicians “in Southern California are testing a new technology that could” help detect cancer in women with dense breast tissue. The researchers are “testing a new three-dimensional ultrasound called SoftVue.” According to CBS News, “the machine scans the entire breast using sound waves.” The investigators are still enrolling patients in the study.