Social network effects of nonlifesaving early-stage breast cancer detection on mammography rates.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We estimated the effect of anecdotes of early-stage, screen-detected cancer for which screening was not lifesaving on the demand for mammography.

Methods

We constructed an agent-based model of mammography decisions, in which 10 000 agents that represent women aged 40 to 100 years were linked together on a social network, which was parameterized with a survey of 716 women conducted through the RAND American Life Panel. Our model represents a population in equilibrium, with demographics reflecting the current US population based on the most recent available census data.

Results

The aggregate effect of women learning about 1 category of cancers-those that would be detected but would not be lethal in the absence of screening-was a 13.8 percentage point increase

SUBMITTER: Nowak SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4232109 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature