ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study evaluates the effectiveness of introducing, in 2012, a standardized recommendation into mammography reports, to recruit women at high risk for breast cancer into our risk assessment clinic. METHODS: The study population was comprised of patients presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography, in 2011 and 2013, who were identified as having a ≥20% lifetime risk for breast cancer. Mammographic reports were assessed for annotations addressing the patients' risk status and referral to a provider at the clinic. The percentage of patients given a high-risk recommendation who did, versus did not, consult a provider at the clinic, within 1 year of their mammogram, was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients in 2011, and 241 patients in 2013, were identified as having a ≥20% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Of these, 40.5% were given a recommendation to attend our risk assessment clinic in 2011, versus 75.5% in 2013. Despite the overall increase in such recommendations by radiologists, only a modest increase occurred, from 11.4% to 14.3%, in patients that subsequently attended our risk assessment clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Although the number of referrals to our high-risk clinic increased modestly after institution of a standardized reporting recommendation, >85% of patients at high risk, in 2013, did not consult a provider for patients at high risk, regarding their elevated lifetime risk of breast cancer.
