Dreams prior to biopsy for suspected breast cancer: A preliminary survey

Larry Burk; DelMarie Wehner; Mary Scott Soo

doi:10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.002

Dreams prior to biopsy for suspected breast cancer: A preliminary survey

Explore (NY). 2020 Nov-Dec;16(6):407-409. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.002. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Authors

Larry Burk¹, DelMarie Wehner², Mary Scott Soo²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States. Electronic address: larry.burk@duke.edu.
² Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.

PMID: 32268982
DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.002

Abstract

Warning dreams prior to the onset of symptoms have been reported in a previous survey of self-selected women with breast cancer. There is no available data on how many women with suspected breast cancer have such dreams, so anonymous surveys were offered to women who came for biopsy at a university breast imaging center over a period of 3 months. 163 women completed the survey reporting that 64% usually remember their dreams, 41% have had dreams that came true, and 5% keep a dream diary. 5.5% reported dreaming the word "cancer," but only one woman was prompted to have a breast evaluation because of a dream. This pilot data will be used in planning a future study with pathological correlation.

Keywords: Biopsy; Breast; Cancer; Diagnosis; Dreams; Mammography; Screening.

MeSH terms

Biopsy, Large-Core Needle
Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
Breast Neoplasms / psychology*
Dreams / psychology*
Female
Humans
Surveys and Questionnaires