title: Social network effects of nonlifesaving early-stage breast cancer detection on mammography rates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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 in annual screening rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anecdotes of detection of early-stage cancers relayed through social networks may substantially increase demand for a screening test even when the detection through screening was nonlifesaving.
authors.affiliation: Sarah A. Nowak is with the RAND Corporation, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Santa Monica, CA. Andrew M. Parker is with the RAND Corporation, Behavioral and Policy Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003657:Decision Making; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires