COMMENTS AND RESPONSES The Long-Term Effects of False-Positive Mammograms TO THE EDITOR: We acknowledge Brewer and colleagues ’ work in

their systematic review of the long-term effects of false-positive mam-mography (1). We are currently conducting several projects on the psychosocial consequences of having a false-positive cancer screening result, and we would like to contribute some of the knowledge gained from our research. In a systematic review about the adequacy of measuring short-and long-term consequences of false-positive screening mammogra-phy (2), we concluded: “Given the inadequacy of the measurement instruments used, any current conclusions about the long-term con-sequences of false-positive results of screening mammography must remain tentative. ” In our recent research, we have found that even the most adequate measure of short-term, psychosocial consequences of false-positive screening mammography lacks validity in the setting of abnormal screening mammography (3). Therefore, we are sur-prised that Brewer and colleagues did not discuss the invalidity of th