ArticleBMJ open2022
Effects of awareness of breast cancer overdiagnosis among women with screen-detected or incidentally found breast cancer: a qualitative interview study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Screening for lung cancer: A systematic review of overdiagnosis and its implications.Molecular oncology · 2026Pooled it
- The Psychological Impact of Screen-Detected Cancer: A Systematic Review.Psycho-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of COVID-19 NHS breast screening pause on breast cancer presentation and management: an insight into overdiagnosis.JRSM open · 2026Article
- Breast cancer screening in women aged 75 and older: Insights from an aging region in Japan.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- Disclosing the Decision to Decline Breast Screening and/or Breast Cancer Treatment Due to Concerns About Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- Evaluation of how US women react to a decision aid informing them of the harms and benefits of mammography: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- Teaching to address overdiagnosis.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 2024Article
- Response to Kraut.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2023Article
- Cancer overdiagnosis: a challenge in the era of screening.Journal of the National Cancer Center · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo explore experiences of women who identified themselves as having a possible breast cancer overdiagnosis.
designQualitative interview study using key components of a grounded theory analysis.
settingInternational interviews with women diagnosed with breast cancer and aware of the concept of overdiagnosis.
participantsTwelve women aged 48-77 years from the UK (6), USA (4), Canada (1) and Australia (1) who had breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ n=9, (invasive) breast cancer n=3) diagnosed between 2004 and 2019, and who were aware of the possibility of overdiagnosis. Participants were recruited via online blogs and professional clinical networks.
resultsMost women (10/12) became aware of overdiagnosis after their own diagnosis. All were concerned about the possibility of overdiagnosis or overtreatment or both. Finding out about overdiagnosis/overtreatment had negative psychosocial impacts on women's sense of self, quality of interactions with medical professionals, and for some, had triggered deep remorse about past decisions and actions. Many were uncomfortable with being treated as a cancer patient when they did not feel 'diseased'. For most, the recommended treatments seemed excessive compared with the diagnosis given. Most found that their initial clinical teams were not forthcoming about the possibility of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and many found it difficult to deal with their set management protocols.
conclusionThe experiences of this small and unusual group of women provide rare insight into the profound negative impact of finding out about overdiagnosis after breast cancer diagnosis. Previous studies have found that women valued information about overdiagnosis before screening and this knowledge did not reduce subsequent screening uptake. Policymakers and clinicians should recognise the diversity of women's perspectives and ensure that women are adequately informed of the possibility of overdiagnosis before screening.
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