Nearly half of women who are recommended a mammogram either skip or delay the exam, according to a recent survey by women’s imaging vendor Hologic.
The survey was conducted online in the U.S. by the Harris Poll on behalf of the company in May. Among 1,123 women over the age of 18, 48% of those who were recommended mammograms said they had skipped or delayed the exam. Other key takeaways of the survey show that common myths persist around breast cancer and screening, including the following, according to Hologic:
Nearly one in four women aged 18 to 39 (24%) incorrectly believe that leading a healthy lifestyle completely negates breast cancer risk.
A majority (66%) of women do not know that having dense breasts increases breast cancer risk. When asked if breast density can be determined by feel, 63% of women are not aware that it cannot.
More than one in four (27%) women do not know that those at average risk for breast cancer should start getting annual mammograms at age 40.
One in five (19%) do not know that women under 40 are at risk.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Hologic noted. To mark the beginning of the campaign, Hologic said it rang the Nasdaq opening bell for the 19th year. The company will also continue its comprehensive #BustTheMyth patient education campaign.
![A normal mammogram confirmed by three-year radiologic follow-up illustrates reader-marked regions of interest (ROIs) during (A) unaided (round 1) and (B) artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted (round 2) reading. Each colored dot represents an ROI for recall by a human reader. Readers could mark more than one ROI per case, represented by multiple dots of the same color. During AI-assisted reading, the AI system displayed three visible prompts: two with suspicion of malignancy scores of 35% (left mediolateral oblique [L MLO] and craniocaudal [L CC]) and one with a suspicion of malignancy score of 10% (right craniocaudal [R CC]), shown as polygonal overlays. Without AI, six of 10 readers (60%) marked a false-positive ROI. With AI assistance, this fell to two of 10 (20%). R MLO = right mediolateral oblique.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/07/2026-07-14-radiology-mammogram-ai-auto-bias.H0bYO8QlWs.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
