SHORT-INTERVAL FOLLOW-UP MAMMOGRAPHY VERSUS IMMEDIATE CORE BIOPSY OF BENIGN BREAST-LESIONS - ASSESSMENT OF PATIENT STRESS

OBJECTIVE. The stress experienced by women undergoing surveillance mam mography for benign lesions was compared with that experienced by wome n undergoing core biopsy of benign lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A r etrospective survey was mailed to women in whom were diagnosed breast abnormalities that were likely to be benign and that were stable at sh ort-interval follow-up mammography (n = 174) or in whom a core biopsy of the breast was performed, with benign findings (n = 116). The surve y included questions about stress related to the diagnostic experience as well as questions about who advised the women of the results of th eir breast imaging studies and about the information provided. RESULTS . Eighty eligible surveys were received from the women who underwent s hort-interval follow-up mammography, and 58 surveys were received from the women who underwent biopsies. The self-reported overall stress ex perienced by the women who underwent core biopsies was significantly g reater (p < .001) than that reported by the group who were followed up with mammography. The level of anxiety was not affected by the patien t's perception of the probability that the lesion represented carcinom a. We found no significant differences in stress between women who dis cussed their mammogram results with a radiologist and women who were n otified by their primary care provider. CONCLUSION. Short-interval fol low-up mammography continues to be acceptable for the evaluation of le sions that are probably benign, even when patient anxiety is considere d.