Radiologists: Beware The Double-Edged Sword of Too Much Screening Information

Written by Ronny Bachrach on June 10, 2015. Posted in Digital Radiography and PACS, RIS, Software

From the risks of breast tissue density to potential side effects of radiation exposure, there is an abundance of clinical information available to women undergoing mammograms and other medical imaging procedures. Making processes more coherent to patients might help ease any anxiety or confusion women experience at the doctor's office.

Recently, a new website was designed to clarify the mammography process for patients.

Educating women about breast imaging exams
Many patients struggle to understand when and how often they should undergo screenings for breast cancer. Their decisions are compounded by conflicting recommendations from federal and professional societies that disagree on the frequency and efficacy of screening exams. While the consensus used to be annual mammograms at 40 years and older, the various opinions have left many women with uncertain mindsets.

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center launched the Breast Screening Decisions website on Dec. 15, 2014. The informational database includes a breast cancer risk assessment tool, information about possible screening mammogram outcomes and the different options available to patients. Its missions is to provide women with the insight necessary to clarify their concerns about screenings.

"Our goal is not to drive women towards or away from mammograms," co-developer Margaret Polaneczky, M.D., an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell, said in a press release. "Our goal is to help decrease confusion and help women make an informed choice about mammography that both they and their doctors can feel good about."

After recommendations from expert groups, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, began shifting suggestions on screenings, doctors and patients alike were confused. Many organizations disagreed with the USPSTF's findings, which only increased miscommunication among health care stakeholders. 

Polaneczky collaborated with Elena Elkin, Ph.D., from Memorial Sloan Kettering to develop the Decisions website. Using a grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Center at Weill Cornell, the team worked with experts in mammography and oncology to ensure the site was filled with up-to-date information about breast cancer risk and potential screening outcomes. After testing the database on more than 150 women at the facility, it was launched in December 2014.

While providing information to patients can be crucial to guiding informed decision making, a new Australian study suggested that too much data can turn women off breast screening altogether.

Flooding data can have negative impacts
The research, published online in the Lancet, was conducted by lead author Jolyn Hersch, M.A.S.c., and her colleagues at the University of Sydney, AuntMinnie.com reported. During January and July 2014, the team conducted a randomized controlled trial with 879 women between the ages of 48 and 50. Participants were eligible if they had not underwent mammograms in the past two years and had no family histories of breast cancer.

The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a control decision aid or an interventional decision aid. The former only included information on mortality reduction and false positives, while the latter contained evidence-based data on overdiagnoses, mortality reduction and false positives. Out of the group, 409 women were assigned to the intervention group and 408 were given the control aid.

The results showed that 69 percent of women in the intervention cohort had positive attitudes toward screening compared to 83 percent in the control group. In addition, 74 percent intended to undergo screening compared to 87 percent – an 18 percent difference.

These findings underscore the significance of maintaining ethical responsibilities on informing women about screenings and its associated pros and cons. Empowering patients to make informed decision can provide positive contributions to clinical outcomes – radiologists merely need to take personal preferences into account.

Contact Viztek for more information.

Ronny Bachrach

Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC
Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.
Ronny Bachrach
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