Though many women routinely get mammograms, researchers from the Mayo Clinic have discovered that many are unaware that baseline mammograms—the first screening mammogram compared to future mammograms—even exist.
Robert Horsley, MD, and colleagues found that almost half of women have never heard of the term “baseline mammogram," and two-thirds thought a baseline mammogram was insignificant in decreasing false positive rates and costs, according to research published Sept. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
“This study suggests that efforts to improve women’s understanding of baseline mammograms and their importance are warranted, with greatest opportunity for health care providers and radiologists,” Horsley et al. wrote.
A total of 401 women (87 percent white, 93 percent educated beyond high school) without a history of breast cancer at the time of their mammogram responded to a survey between March and April 2017.
Of the 77 percent of respondents who reported having annual mammograms, 31 percent had a history of an abnormal mammogram and 45 percent had never heard of a baseline mammogram.
“Of the patients that were knowledgeable regarding baseline mammography, the greatest proportion was made aware through their primary care providers,” according to the researchers.
Additionally, more than half of the women did not think a baseline mammogram was important in terms of decreasing costs, time and discomfort due to the number of incorrectly read abnormal mammograms.
“It is possible that women have not heard the term baseline mammogram because it is not a commonly used term, nor has it been included in public health messaging regarding breast cancer screening,” the researchers wrote. “Because baseline mammograms significantly reduce false-positive rates, there are both financial benefits as well as reduction in possible harms to patients when radiologists have access to baseline mammograms.”
Study results highlight the opportunity for healthcare providers to educate women on breast-cancer screening principles and encourage future studies to include more diverse populations, the researchers wrote.
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.