Abstract
Patients with dense breasts on mammography have a higher risk of developing breast cancer and missing a tumor mass than those with non-dense breasts. Whether examinees who have dense breasts should be notified is currently under consideration in Japan; however, there is concern about the low level of understanding regarding dense breasts. A questionnaire survey on the degree of comprehension regarding dense breasts was conducted among 409 general women of >20 years of age in Hachinohe city in October 2017 and 2018. The results showed that the degree of comprehension was extremely low, as only 35 people (8.5%) responded with, “I know the meaning”; however, 32 of them (91.5%) stated that they would like to be notified in they had dense breasts. In addition, the degree of comprehension regarding dense breasts was significantly greater among those who had a breast cancer screening history (OR = 6.4; 95% CI = 2.0 - 19.8; P = 0.001) and a self-examination history than among those with no such history (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1 - 5.8; P = 0.03). However, the degree of comprehension did not differ between participants of years of age or between participants with and without a breast cancer sufferer among their close blood relatives. The present findings to reflect a low understanding of dense breasts on mammography screening and suggest that the degree of comprehension is influenced by the presence or absence of a consultation history and a self-examination history.
Highlights
Screening mammography is the only examination that has been proven to lead a decrease in the mortality rate of breast cancer patients [1] [2], it is difficult to detect mass lesions in patients with dense breasts [3]
The results showed that the degree of comprehension was extremely low, as only 35 people (8.5%) responded with, “I know the meaning”; 32 of them (91.5%) stated that they would like to be notified in they had dense breasts
The present findings to reflect a low understanding of dense breasts on mammography screening and suggest that the degree of comprehension is influenced by the presence or absence of a consultation history and a self-examination history
Summary
Screening mammography is the only examination that has been proven to lead a decrease in the mortality rate of breast cancer patients [1] [2], it is difficult to detect mass lesions in patients with dense breasts [3]. The topic of dense breasts has been a frequent point of discussion since screening mammography was introduced for Japanese women in their 40 s [4] [5]. The proportion of Japanese women with dense breasts is approximately 40%; importantly, 54.9% - 68.8% of Japanese women in their 40 s have dense breasts [7]. For this reason, the patient association wished to notify examinees with dense breasts. According to the survey, the notification of women with dense breasts had already been implemented by of 13.5% of the 1700 municipalities that responded, and 7.8% of the municipalities that had not implemented this practice expected to do so in the future [8]
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