Colorectal cancer screening behavior in women attending screening mammography: Longitudinal trends and predictors

PURPOSE: Nationally representative surveys demonstrate that the adherence to screening mammography guidelines are associated with increased prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening; however, the incidence of CRC screening in the screening mammography population is unknown. Our purpose was to describe non-fecal occult blood test (FOBT) CRC screening utilization by women prior to and subsequent to screening mammography at a large academic medical center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the institutional administrative data base, 17,790 women aged 50 and older who underwent screening mammography between 1998 and 2002 were retrospectively identified. We determined that women were current with non-FOBT CRC screening at the time of mammography if they had undergone flexible sigmoidoscopy or double-contrast barium enema in the 5 years or colonoscopy since 1995, the earliest for which data are available. We excluded FOBT as a form of CRC screening because the administrative data base did not adequately capture episodes of FOBT. Women who were not current were considered eligible for non-FOBT CRC screening. We then assessed the number of women who underwent flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, or colonoscopy within 12 months following mammography. Age, insurance status, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System classification, recommendations after screening mammography and year of mammography were examined as potential predictors of non-FOBT CRC screening completion. RESULTS: At the time of mammography, 13.3% women were current with non-FOBT CRC screening. Of women eligible for non-FOBT CRC screening at the time of mammography, 1.1% completed non-FOBT CRC screening within 12 months after mammography. The rate of non-FOBT CRC screening completion increased over time. After multivariate analysis, being insured by a commercial managed care organization or by Medicaid remained significant predictors of non-FOBT CRC screening. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of non-FOBT CRC screening is low in the population of women undergoing screening mammography, with an incidence of 1.0%. Future studies should examine whether delivering CRC screening interventions at a screening mammography visit increase adherence to non-FOBT CRC screening.     

The experience of screening mammography

Nearly 1000 women who had just undergone screening mammography responded to a survey regarding demographics, the circumstances of the mammographic examination, and their responses to it. Several findings of interest to the family physician include the following: (1) The majority of respondents obtained the examination as a result of their physician's referral rather than on their own. (2) Most respondents experienced less pain during the procedure than they had anticipated. (3) The major expressed motivation for obtaining the examination was to seek reassurance that nothing was wrong. Family physicians need to know that screening mammography patients accept the procedure, and should incorporate awareness of the above findings into their routine practice.     

Older women and mammography screening behavior: do possible selves contribute?

This study sought to explore the contribution of the self-concept to older women's adherence to regular mammography screening behavior. The PRECEDE and health belief model concepts were incorporated with a measure of the women's future selves to determine whether the self-concept adds to our ability to predict screening. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 210 community-dwelling women ages 50 to 75 years, recruited from urban and rural women's groups. Logistic regression analyses revealed that predictors of adherence were clinical breast examination, physician recommendation, age, barriers, benefits, feared health-related possible self, and self-efficacy in the feared domain. The addition of the self measures significantly improved the overall fit of the model. Implications for theory development, practice, and future research are discussed.     

乳腺X线摄影技术应用于人群筛查准确性的Meta分析

目的 对全球X线摄影技术运用于乳腺癌筛查的准确性研究进行Meta分析。方法 在Medline、Embase、Cochrane和中国学术期刊网全文数据库（CNKI）文献库中,通过疾病名称、筛查干预、结果指标等关键词整合进行检索。截至2015年6月4日,共检索获得1 167篇文献。根据纳入和排除标准筛选,主要摘录筛查试验中的真阳性、假阳性、假阴性、真阴性的“四格表”数据。采用QUADAS量表进行文献质量评价。利用综合受试者工作特征（SROC）分析方法判断研究间的阈值效应并计算曲线下面积（AUC）,采用双变量混合效应模型对X线摄影技术在所有人群和乳腺致密的亚组人群中筛查的灵敏度及特异度进行Meta分析;对样本量大于10万的亚组进行敏感性分析。利用Q检验和I2统计量分析文献异质性,以漏斗图和线性回归方法检验发表偏倚。结果 最终纳入文献48篇（欧洲地区及美国38篇、亚洲地区8篇、大洋洲地区2篇）,总样本量为8 551 873例,筛查开展时间为1975-2013年,对象起止筛查年龄大部分在40～75岁。分析得出,X线摄影技术用于乳腺癌筛查的AUC为0.95（95% CI：0.93～0.97）,总体灵敏度为0.81（95% CI：0.77～0.84）,总体特异度为0.96（95% CI：0.94～0.96）,敏感性分析提示该结果稳定。其中对乳腺致密人群的亚组分析显示,X线摄影技术的合并灵敏度和特异度分别为0.74（95% CI：0.61～0.83）和0.93（95% CI：0.89～0.96）。漏斗图和线性回归结果显示纳入研究不存在发表偏倚。结论 X线摄影作为乳腺癌筛查技术具有较高灵敏度和特异度,但对乳腺致密女性的筛查准确性降低。     

Coorscreen: a low-cost, on-site mammography screening program

SETTING: Coors Brewing Company is a self-insured corporation of 10,600 employees located in Golden, Colorado. Management has long believed in the value of a healthy workforce and has instituted ongoing health and wellness programming since 1981. PROGRAM DESIGN: Coorscreen was started in September 1985 to create an ongoing awareness of breast cancer screening and prevention for all female employees, spouses, and retirees and to lower the health care costs for the company through early detection of breast cancer. PROGRAM IMPACT: From 1985 through 1993, 12,210 mammograms were completed on 3729 employees, spouses, and retirees. The participation rate was 83%. Forty-seven malignant conditions were confirmed during the first 8 years. Pathology reports confirmed 43 early detections (10 employees) and four late detections (two employees). The 10 cases of malignant disease detected early among employees cost an average of $12,388 in terms of direct medical costs, short-term disability, temporary replacement, and ongoing benefits. The two cases detected late among employees cost an average of $143,398. Among spouses, cases of malignant disease detected late have cost an average of $69,230 more than cases detected early. On the basis of early detection for 10 employees and 26 spouses, the total savings are estimated to be $3,110,000. DISCUSSION: The Coorscreen program cost savings for the first 8 years were $3,110,080 because of the lower cost of early versus late detection. Total screening and procedural costs to the company have equaled $668,690. Thus the company has realized a total cost savings of $2,441,190.     

Tailored interventions to promote mammography screening: a meta-analytic review

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of tailored interventions, designed to reach one specific person based on her unique characteristics, for promoting mammography use. METHOD: This systematic review used meta-analytic techniques to aggregate the effect size of 28 studies published from 1997 through 2005. Potential study-level moderators of outcomes (sample, intervention, and methodological characteristics) were also examined. RESULTS: A small but significant aggregate odds ratio effect size of 1.42 indicated that women exposed to tailored interventions were significantly more likely to get a mammogram (p<0.001). The type of population recruited and participants' pre-intervention level of mammography adherence did not significantly influence this effect. Tailored interventions that used the Health Belief Model and included a physician recommendation produced the strongest effects. Interventions delivered in person, by telephone, or in print were similarly effective. Finally, defining adherence as a single recent mammogram as opposed to regular or repeated mammograms yielded higher effect sizes. CONCLUSION: Tailored interventions, particularly those that employ the Health Belief Model and use a physician recommendation, are effective in promoting mammography screening. Future investigations should strive to use more standardized definitions of tailoring and assessments of mammography outcomes.     

Considerations for extending the transtheoretical model of behavior change to screening mammography

This paper reviews issues that have arisen in the process ofextending the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change (TTM)from smoking cessation to screening mammography. Conceptualand empirical considerations are discussed. Topics covered includedefining the stages-of-adoption, writing items for the prosand cons, and identifying processes-of-change. Differences betweensmoking cessation and mammography as health-related behaviorsare reviewed, as they have affected the adaptation of the model(e.g. prevention versus early detection; cessation versus initiation;periodicity; role of the provider). The fundamental appropriatenessof mammography as a behavior to which the TTM should be extendedis also addressed (i.e. clear behavioral guidelines, effectivetechnology, a definitive target population). Several areas forfurther development of the TTM and mammography are presented.     

The impact of a screening mammography program on Sydney general practitioners

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine changes in Sydney general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge about, attitude towards and intention to recommend screening mammography over the two years since a screening mammography program was first implemented in the Central Sydney Health Service (CSHS) area. 123 GPs from the CSHS area were selected from a list maintained by the Breast X-ray Programme, while 127 GPs from the rest of Sydney were selected from the Yellow Pages telephone directory. The overall response rate was 84 per cent. Outcomes were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, self-report of recent referral practice, intention to recommend, and sources of information about mammography screening. Demographic data were also collected. Results showed that overall knowledge has increased both inside and outside the CSHS area, but important deficiencies in knowledge remain in both areas. Attitudes to screening mammography have improved in the CSHS area, especially regarding the efficacy of screening mammography and patient compliance. Importantly, positive views of screening mammography have declined outside the CSHS area, especially about whether screening mammography can save women's lives. GPs in both areas remain concerned about costs. The presence and strategies of the Breast X-ray Programme have had some positive effect on the attitudes of GPs towards, but not knowledge of, screening mammography.     

Correlates of screening mammography in a family practice setting

The medical records of 243 asymptomatic women aged 50 years or older were reviewed at a community-based family practice center to determine the proportion who had been referred for a screening mammogram and to identify correlates of mammography referral. Patient demographic characteristics, breast cancer risk factors, and characteristics of past patient-physician encounters were considered. Between July 1, 1981, and July 1, 1987, 40 (16 percent) of the women had received a mammography referral from their currently assigned physician. All but two of the women had actually obtained the mammogram. The primary predictors of mammography referral were the known risk factors for breast cancer: a family history of breast cancer (prevalence rate ratio [PRR] = 9.3, P = .001) and a history of benign breast disease (PRR = 7.9, P = .002). Other predictors included having a Papanicolaou test performed by the current physician (PRR = 4.1, P = .03), having a test for stool occult blood returned by the patient (PRR = 10.2, P = .003), having been instructed in smoking cessation by the current physician (PRR = 10.0, P = .05), and, possibly, being a former smoker (PRR = 4.6, P = .09). Patient demographic characteristics, other known breast cancer risk factors (age, obesity, alcohol use, and pregnancy history), and the sex of the physician were not predictive.     

The cost-effectiveness of mammography screening: evidence from a microsimulation model for New Zealand

Mammography screening currently represents the only means by which the mortality rate from breast cancer can be modified substantially. A national mammography screening programme is being considered for New Zealand, and pilot programmes were established in two regions (Otago/Southland and Waikato) in 1991 to determine the potential costs and benefits of mammography for New Zealand women. The aim of this paper is to explore the cost-effectiveness of mammography screening in New Zealand relative to no screening, and to examine the marginal change in costs and benefits of altering programme characteristics such as the age of women invited and screening frequency. Cost-effectiveness is measured by the net cost (the costs of screening minus the treatment savings averted by the early detection of cancers) per year of life gained, from the perspective of the public health care sector. A microsimulation computer model, MICROLIFE, was developed to facilitate the estimation of mortality reduction and cost-effectiveness. The results show that, while mammography screening does not 'save money' overall, the cost per year of life saved for a range of policies compares favourably with other New Zealand health services, and is comparable to the results from economic evaluations of mammography screening overseas. Of those regimes considered, screening women 50-64 years of age at 3-yearly intervals appears to be most cost-effective.     

Misconceptions about efficacy of mammography screening: a public health dilemma

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed accuracy of women's opinions about reduction in mortality from breast cancer attributable to mammography screening. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTING: General population of Geneva, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: 895 randomly selected women aged 40 to 80 years, free of breast cancer. RESULTS: Women estimated the proportion of deaths from breast cancer that regular mammography screening prevents in women over age 50. Only 19.3% of the respondents assessed screening efficacy realistically (that is, reduction by about one fourth); 52.0% overestimated efficacy; 26.0% "didn't know", and 2.6% stated that screening prevents no death. Women who believed mammography screening to be effective had more positive attitudes toward screening (higher scores of pros and lower scores of cons) and were more likely to plan to have a mammogram (both p<0.001). Lack of opinion about the benefit of mammography screening was more common among women who had not consulted a gynaecologist recently (p=0.02) nor had had a mammogram during the past two years (p=0.009), who had no opinion about their risk of breast cancer (p<0.001), and who were 70 to 80 years old (p=0.04). Compared with women who provided realistic estimates of screening efficacy, those who overestimated efficacy believed to be at higher risk of breast cancer than other women (p=0.04) and were more likely to be Swiss nationals (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most women overestimated and many were uninformed about the efficacy of mammography screening. Therefore, few women were able to take truly informed decisions about screening mammography.