When people understand the personal risk of suffering from a critical ailment like cancer, their awareness increases and they also do not tend to overlook any signs of the disease. Therefore, early detection of prompt treatment becomes possible.
Therefore, the medical care sector considers perceived personal risk to be an excellent indicator. Breast cancer in women is gradually becoming one of the most frequently occurring health hazards.
Over the past few years, the number of women experiencing these menacing diseases has increased. Therefore, a few researchers found it worth finding the accuracy of women’s perception of their individual risks.
The Study
The survey data showed that the three factors that primarily influence the PPR (Perceived Personal Risk) for breast cancer remain the age of the woman, her family history, and her personal medical history.
However, the experts also mentioned that differentiating between the chance of actual and perceived risks with accuracy, based on these parameters, can be a challenging task at any time.
The survey conducted by the team of researchers included 508 women. All the participants had dense breasts. According to the data, the experts concluded that three varieties of women generally show high PPR.
These categories of women included the younger ones, women with a high-risk designation and those with a family history of breast cancer.
The Experts’ View
The study further revealed that the women who attended an additional round of imaging following an initial screening for breast cancer had a less exact depiction of their respective PPR. The same trend followed for the women with breast cancer family history.
While it is justified for such women to perceive a high risk of breast cancer for them, the researchers, based on the study estimated the perception to be extra-sensitive. In simple words, women with a breast cancer family history often overestimate their chances of having cancer.
The authors further noticed that the women attending the second round of imaging were not scared r apprehensive of high risks. Therefore, they did not show any negative attitude when called for the second round of imaging. According to the expert, this was a good sign.
If women can beat the excessive level of anxiety of fear, they are more likely to adhere to the guidelines and are less likely to skip the follow-up imaging procedures.
Matthew W. Miller, the author of the Clinical Imaging paper, works at the radiology department of the University Of Virginia Health System. Miller along with his colleagues mentioned that the survey data implied that women need improved education regarding dense breasts and their association with the real risk of breast cancer.
Proper knowledge of the entire thing will help women see their risks more accurately and skip the overestimations leading to unnecessary anxiety.
Many women, fearing breast cancer, often hurry into a treatment grossly unnecessary for them. With adequate knowledge to back their anticipations, there will be more individualized and appropriate screening.
The team also recommended more patient-provider discussions to help the patients learn about their real chances of contracting cancer. During these discussions, issues like the complete medical history of the individuals. Their family history of breast cancer and the implication of call-back imaging might take the center stage.
Cancer is always a disease hard to fight. However, with proper information and diagnosis, the fear, anxiety, and myths about the disease can be kept away.
When patients, having a high risk of breast cancer would know a great deal about the realities associated with the disease, dealing with it will become easier. Imaging can play a critical role here.
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