Attitudes toward mammography differ across ethnicities, cultures, backgroundsNovember 27, 2007CHICAGO - Black and Hispanic women have a different understanding of screening mammography compared with that of Caucasian women, according to the findings of a Boston University Medical Center survey presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "Limited understanding of mammography still exists across different ethnic and socioeconomic groups," said Nazia F. Jafri, M.D., medical intern at Mount Auburn Hospital in Boston. "Increased community outreach and education targeted at minority and underserved women may lead to better breast cancer prognoses in these groups." Breast cancer incidence rates tend to be lower among minority women than among Caucasian women, but mortality rates are higher. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, African-American women between the ages of 35 and 44 have a breast cancer death rate more than double the rate for Caucasian women in the same age group. Hispanic women in the U.S. are 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer than Caucasian women. While a number of factors may contribute to these alarming statistics, the researchers sought to determine if ethnic or socioeconomic background held any sway over women's beliefs or opinions regarding breast cancer screening for early detection. For the study, the researchers surveyed 1,011 women of various educational, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds who underwent screening mammography at Boston University Medical Center. The survey asked women questions about their understanding of mammography and their preferences regarding call-back after a suspicious finding on a screening mammogram. The results showed that differences in ethnic background appear to influence women's preferences regarding the trade-off between recall and earlier detection of cancer. Caucasian women strongly preferred recall given the possibility of earlier detection of cancer, compared with black (African-American, Caribbean and Haitian) and Hispanic women. Nearly one-third of black and Hispanic women thought mammography would detect more cancers than it actually does. When asked if they would continue routine screening mammography after a false-positive result, 76 percent of Caucasian women said they would, compared to only 56 percent of black women and 48 percent of Hispanic women. "Women's healthcare decisions and adherence to routine health screenings are affected by cultural factors, educational background and access to medical care," said the study's principal investigator, Priscilla J. Slanetz, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of radiology at Boston University Medical Center. "Our study shows that we need to improve breast health education among minority and underserved women." Dr. Jafri suggested that further research is necessary to address the underlying factors that influence a woman's decision to comply with screening mammography and to seek appropriate follow-up care. "Mammography does save lives, but only when cancer is detected early," Dr. Slanetz said. "Most recalls are for benign causes and should not deter further screening." Radiological Society of North America |
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| Related Mammography Current Events and Mammography News Articles Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer. Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate But women may not have to endure the medical costs, stress and potential complications that accompany such invasive biopsies forever. A University of Florida biomedical engineering researcher is making progress on an "optical biopsy" that has the potential to determine whether growths are cancerous without ever puncturing the skin. URI research couple's method targets cancerous tumors Two University of Rhode Island associate professors, biophysicists Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev, have discovered a technology that can detect cancerous tumors and deliver treatment to them without the harming the healthy cells surrounding them, thereby significantly reducing side effects. Study finds delay in follow-up among African-American women receiving abnormal breast finding A new analysis has identified a significant delay in follow-up times among African-American women after the finding of a suspicious breast abnormality. New data: Hospital imaging centers poised to pull back, hitting patients hardest in rural areas Survivors and patients with cancers and heart disease, along with patient advocate organizations and physicians, today urged policymakers to enhance early diagnosis of deadly diseases by preserving access to advanced imaging, such as MRI and CT scans, in final health care reform legislation. Breast tenderness during hormone replacement therapy linked to elevated cancer risk Women who developed new-onset breast tenderness after starting estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy were at significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer than women on the combination therapy who didn't experience such tenderness, according to a new UCLA study. Breast cancer patients with high risk gene diagnosed 6 years earlier than generation before Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer six years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Researchers fine-tune Diffuse Optical Tomography for breast cancer screening Clemson University researchers in collaboration with researchers at the University of Bremen, Germany, are working to make the physical pain and discomfort of mammograms a thing of the past, while allowing for diagnostic imaging eventually to be done in a home setting. Surgeons' unanimous consensus: Needle biopsy is gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis A special report published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons indicates that an alarming 35% of initial diagnostic breast biopsies in the United States are still being done using unnecessary open surgical techniques. Researchers believe hormone therapy should not be stopped prior to mammograms Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are recommending that menopausal women on hormone therapy (HT) continue their treatment prior to having their annual mammogram screenings. More Mammography Current Events and Mammography News Articles |
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