Mammography and Breast Arterial Calcification: An Information-Sharing Trial

Summary

The purpose of this research study is to determine the potential benefits of adding information on patients' breast arterial calcification (BAC) results to the standard results letter women receive after mammography. In addition to looking for potential breast cancer, research shows that mammograms can also detect the presence of calcifications within the breast arteries. Those calcifications can be associated with coronary artery disease. Right now, women are not routinely told whether or not they have BAC; that is, it's not part of standard practice to communicate that information to patients. However, previous research has suggested that patients would like to be informed about their BAC status more often. In this study, the team has two goals. First, the team wants to measure the rates of BAC in a large, representative group of 5708 women. Second, the study team wants to understand the effects of giving women information on their BAC results as part of their standard post-mammography letter. Specifically, the study team wants to see how sharing that information might affect women's healthcare choices and lifestyle. The research will include 508 women in this second part of the study, which will be the first in the literature to explore women's reactions to BAC information. If research shows that women find the information useful, BAC information may be given to women regularly in the future.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

* Female
* Scheduled to undergo mammography at one of Mount Sinai's breast radiology clinics (e.g., Dubin Breast Center, Radiology Associates)
* Age ≥ 40 years
* Read and speak English or Spanish
* Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent
* Willing to sign and date any applicable medical record release documents for the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants with known coronary artery disease (via self-report)
* Previous physician-diagnosed heart attack, stroke or TIA, heart failure, angina or taking nitroglycerin, or atrial fibrillation (via self-report or review of EMR)
* Inability to understand and comply with the instructions of the study due to the presence of cognitive or psychiatric conditions (such as dementia, psychosis, or mania), compromising ability to provide informed consent and/or follow study procedures
* Pregnant women

Conditions4

Locations1 site

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