SynthesisBritish journal of cancer2019
How do women experience a false-positive test result from breast screening? A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.
Synthesis in British journal of cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- "For and against" factors influencing participation in personalized breast cancer screening programs: a qualitative systematic review until March 2022.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Pooled it
- Factors associated with attendance at screening for breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Screening mammography: Any room for reading improvement without AI?European radiology · 2026Article
- Finding the optimal recall rate in breast cancer screening: results from the ROCS study.European radiology · 2026Article
- Breast cancer risk prediction with a modified BOADICEA model in Danish women.British journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Experience of NHS diagnostic investigation following a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening test: qualitative interviews with NHS-Galleri trial participants who had a cancer signal detected.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- The role of AI for improved management of breast cancer: Enhanced diagnosis and health disparity mitigation.Computer methods and programs in biomedicine · 2025Review
- The impact of cancer expectations on psychological responses following a cancer signal detected result in asymptomatic multi-cancer detection (MCED) testing.British journal of cancer · 2025Article
- Downstream healthcare use following breast cancer screening: a register-based cohort study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Optimising data sharing whilst protecting participant privacy: a data note describing processed data from a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' experiences of caring for women with false positive screening test results.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Review
- Association Between False-Positive Results and Return to Screening Mammography in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Cohort.Annals of internal medicine · 2024Article
- Long-term trends in incidence, characteristics and prognosis of screen-detected and interval cancers in women participating in the Dutch breast cancer screening programme.British journal of cancer · 2024Article
- Implementation considerations for risk-tailored cancer screening in the population: A scoping review.Preventive medicine · 2024Article
- Healthcare professionals' experiences of caring for women with false-positive screening test results in the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of Breast Cancer Mortality in Kazakhstan, trends and Geographic Distribution.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2023Article
- What do women think about having received their breast cancer risk as part of a risk-stratified NHS Breast Screening Programme? A qualitative study.British journal of cancer · 2023Article
- The dilemma of recalling well-circumscribed masses in a screening population: A narrative literature review and exploration of Dutch screening practice.Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2023Review
- Quantifying the effects of risk-stratified breast cancer screening when delivered in real time as routine practice versus usual screening: the BC-Predict non-randomised controlled study (NCT04359420).British journal of cancer · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis is the first review to identify, appraise and synthesise women's experiences of having a false-positive breast screening test result.
methodsWe systematically searched eight databases for qualitative research reporting women's experiences of receiving a false-positive screening test result. Two reviewers independently screened articles. Eight papers reporting seven studies were included. Study quality was appraised. Data were thematically synthesised.
resultsWomen passively attended screening in order to prove their perceived good health. Consequently, being recalled was unexpected, shocking and disempowering: women felt without options. They endured great uncertainty and stress and sought clarity about their health (e.g. by scrutinising the wording of recall letters and conversations with healthcare professionals). Their result was accompanied by relief and welcome feelings of certainty about their health, but some received unclear explanations of their result, contributing to lasting breast cancer-related worry and an ongoing need for further reassurance.
conclusionThe organisation of breast screening programmes may constrain choice for women: they became passive recipients. The way healthcare professionals verbally communicate results to women may contribute to lasting breast cancer-related worry. Women need more reassurance, emotional support and answers to their questions before and during screening assessment, and after receiving their result.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.