Study author Dr. Monica Peek of the University of Chicago Medical Center said the experiences of those African-American women influenced their decisions to skip mammograms. They also fear they won't receive correct treatment so they avoid mammograms altogether, Peek said.

"The issue here is not whether these feelings are founded or unfounded," Peek said in a statement. "The study gives more direction to health professionals on how they can adapt their treatment styles to encourage this high-risk group of women to get screened."

The findings, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, are based on feedback gathered during focus groups that included 29 low-income African-American women who were at least age 40.

Some of the women said stories circulate about patients who had bad experiences undergoing mammograms and received incorrect cancer treatments, such as an unnecessary mastectomy. Those tales can become part of urban folklore about mammograms and affect women's decisions not to get screened, Peek said.

The study adds that because of their fears, some women delay getting screened, which leads to worse health outcomes.