False Negative
What is a False Negative outcome?
A false negative (FN) is when an individual is given a positive tissue diagnosis of cancer within one year of a negative examination (Funaro et al., 2021).
Example of False Negative from the ACR BI-RADS Atlas:
False Negative: "A woman has a screening examination for which a benign calcified fibroadenoma is described (Bl-RADS category 2). A palpable mass develops within 1 year of examination, is biopsied, and is found to be malignant. The screening interpretation is negative. However, because malignancy is diagnosed within 1 year, the examination is classified as false-negative" (Sickles et al., 2013).
Why is the time interval for qualifying mammogram outcomes 1 year between the initial assessment and the resulting outcome?
The BI-RADS Atlas states that the reason the time frame for tissue diagnosis after an initial examination is one year is because screening mammograms are recommended to be conducted once a year in the United States (Sickles et al., 2013).
Sources:
Sickles, EA, D'Orsi CJ, Bassett LW, et al. (2013). ACR Bl-RADS Mammography. In: ACR Bl-RADS Atlas, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. American College of Radiology. https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Reporting-and-Data-Systems/Bi-Rads#Mammography
Funaro, K., Ataya, D., & Niell, B. (2021). Understanding the Mammography Audit. Radiologic Clinics of North America, 59(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcl.2020.09.009