Description

The density of a woman's breast has emerged as an important risk factor for breast cancer because unlike other risk factors such as family history and age at menopause, breast density can be modified. Maminographic density is determined by having the mammogram x-rays read by trained radiologists and is routinely measured on all women attending the screening mammography program in British Columbia, Canada. Currently this risk information is not shared with women. While health practitioners are concerned about creating undue anxiety, women are beginning to demand that they have a right to access this information. The mammography screening program in British Columbia is one of the few programs to routinely collect density information providing a unique opportunity to determine the consequences of a population-based strategy for providing individual cancer risk information. In this proposed research, personal risk information about mammograghic density will be shared with women to determine the psychological and behavioral effects. It is anticipated that the results of this research will provide valuable insights regarding how information about breast density influences psychological well-being and health behaviors. The findings of this study will provide direction for policy and practice related to the communication of breast density information and possibly other forms of risk information for screening programs.

Principal Investigator

• J.L. Bottorff, principal investigator

Research Team

• T.G. Hislop, co-investigator
• P.A. Ratner, co-investigator
• J.L. Johnson, co-investigator
• J.A. Buxton, co-investigator