Anxiety about malpractice lawsuits and misdiagnosed mammograms may cause downward spiral, study finds

• A survey finds that radiologists in Washington, Colorado and New Hampshire are worried about malpractice suits if they misinterpret a mammogram.
• An article in the July issue of Radiology suggests that this anxiety may be the reason for the large number of false positives and recalls in the United States.
• Dr. Joann Elmore of the University of Washington medical school, said that this caution does not necessarily make women safer and does increase their anxiety about breast cancer.
• "The majority of women who are called back for additional testing after a screening mammogram do not have any evidence of breast cancer on subsequent evaluation," she said.
• Elmore and her colleagues surveyed 124 radiologists who regularly screen mammograms.
• They found that 76.4 percent are concerned about the effect of medical malpractice suits on mammography, 58.5 percent said that makes them more likely to recommend breast biopsies and 72.4 percent said it increased their recommendations for diagnostic mammography or ultrasound.