Family breast cancer history and mammography - Framingham Offspring Study

The authors examined mammography use according to family cancer history and identified predictors of recent use (less than or equal to2 years). Framingham Offspring Study participants in Framingham, Massachusetts, aged 40-79 years, completed a breast health questionnaire in 1996-1997. The study sample of women included 141 with a first-degree relative with breast cancer, 221 with a mother or sister(s) with other cancers, and 331 with a mother and sister(s) who participate in the Framingham Heart Study and did not report a history of cancer. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of recent mammography use. Among women with a family breast cancer history, 98% reported mammography use compared with 95% of other women. Recent mammography use was higher in women with a family breast cancer history (93%) compared with women with a family history of other cancer (80%) and women without a family history of cancer (84%) (p = 0.004). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for significant predictors of recent mammography use were as follows: family history of breast cancer, 3.2 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4, 7.7); recent clinical breast examination, 17.4 (95% CI: 9.2, 32.8); and smoking, 0.4 (95% CI: 0.2, 0.7). Mammography use was high among women with a family breast cancer history.