Mammography screening is associated with considerable costs linked to false-positive mammograms and breast cancer overdiagnosis, with national expenditure estimated at $4 billion annually, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
Mei-Sing Ong, Ph.D., from Boston Children’s Hospital, and Kenneth D. Mandl, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, examined the costs due to false-positive mammograms and breast cancer overdiagnosis among women aged 40 to 59 years.
Expenditure data were extracted from a major U.S. health care insurance plan for 702,154 women in the years 2011 to 2013.
Continue Reading
The researchers found that in the 12 months following diagnosis, the average expenditures were $852, $51,837, and $12,369, respectively, for each false-positive mammogram, invasive breast cancer, and ductal carcinoma in situ. The national cost was estimated at $4 billion per year.
RELATED: Increase in Biopsies with DCIS, Invasive Cancer Post-Mammogram
“The costs associated with false-positive mammograms and breast cancer overdiagnoses appear to be much higher than previously documented,” the authors write.
“Screening has the potential to save lives. However, the economic impact of false-positive mammography results and breast cancer overdiagnoses must be considered in the debate about the appropriate populations for screening.”
Reference
