SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY BEHAVIOR AFTER A FALSE-POSITIVE MAMMOGRAM

This pilot study describes women's interpretations of the experience o f a false positive mammogram followed by a negative biopsy and the imp act of this experience on subsequent participation in screening mammog raphy. A 25-min, open-ended telephone interview was administered in 19 92 to 30 women over age 39 who had negative biopsies in 1987 preceded by abnormal mammograms. Almost twice as many women reported getting re gular mammograms after the biopsy (60%) as did before 1987 (33%). Most received their next mammogram after the biopsy within the recommended interval (73%), and those getting regular mammograms prior to the bio psy experience were more likely than those who did not have a prior ha bit of undergoing mammography to continue to get them afterwards. Thes e preliminary findings suggest that a negative breast biopsy after a p ositive mammogram does not reduce a patient's likelihood of undergoing screening in the future. In fact, it may serve as an impetus for incr eased compliance with screening recommendations.