Black women face the highest rates of false-positive mammograms, a finding that could deepen existing racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes. New screening data show an overall false-positive rate of 13.8%, but the rate climbs to 43.3% for Black women—more than triple the average and higher than any other racial group. Younger women are also disproportionately affected, with a rate of 32% among those ages 40 to 49.
These false alarms do more than trigger worry. They shape whether and when women return for future screenings. Among those who eventually returned, only 57.4% of Black women came back, compared with 65.1% of white women and 52.3% of Asian women. The delays were also significant: women with false-positive results waited a median of 423 days for their next mammogram, far longer than the 388 days seen among women whose screenings were true negatives.
Researchers also examined the impact of how the false-positive occurred. Whether the finding appeared on imaging alone or involved a biopsy did not affect the likelihood of returning to screening. But women whose false-positive was identified through imaging alone waited even longer—483 days versus 420 days for biopsy-related false positives.
Because Black women already face higher breast cancer mortality, these delays represent yet another barrier to early detection. The data raise urgent questions about whether screening systems are unintentionally reinforcing racial gaps in care and how recall rates can be safely reduced.
See: “Black, young women have more false-positive breast screenings” (November 14, 2025)
