False-Positives Par for Course With Yearly Mammograms

Most women who start getting annual mammograms at age 40 can expect to need re-imaging because of a false-positive result at least once by age 50, a national, cohort study determined.

Over 10 years of annual screening starting at age 40, the cumulative probability was 61.3% for a false-positive recall and 7% for a false-positive biopsy, Rebecca A. Hubbard, PhD, of the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, and colleagues found. 

• MedPage Today
• Patient Summary of the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine