Ethnic Differences in Mammography Use among Older Women: Overcoming the Barriers

Editorials1 May 1998Ethnic Differences in Mammography Use among Older Women: Overcoming the BarriersGenerosa Grana, MDGenerosa Grana, MDUniversity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine; Camden, NJ 08103Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-128-9-199805010-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Ethnicity is thought to be a significant factor in breast cancer. Although the incidence of the disease is lower among black women, mortality in this group is disproportionally high [1]. Improvements in mortality have been seen across all age and ethnic groups, but the 5-year disease-free survival rate among black women with breast cancer (69%) continues to lag behind that in white women (84%) [2]. Several studies [3, 4] show that older black women have substantially lower rates of mammography use and higher rates of late-stage breast cancer at diagnosis than their white counterparts. Whether this differential use of mammography ...References1. Mandelblatt JS. Screening elderly, poor, black women for breast and cervical cancer. In: DeVita VT Jr, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, eds. Cancer: Prevention Update. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott; 1993:1-7. Google Scholar2. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures. New York: American Cancer Society; 1997. Google Scholar3. Satariano WA, Belle SH, Swanson GM. The severity of breast cancer diagnosis: a comparison of age and extent of disease in black and white women. Am J Public Health. 1986; 76:779-82. Google Scholar4. Anderson LM, May DS. Has the use of cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening increased in the United States? Am J Public Health. 1995; 85:840-2. Google Scholar5. 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J Clin Oncol. 1997; 15:2329-37. Google Scholar25. Roach M 3d, Cirrincione C, Budman D, Hayes D, Berry D, Younger J, et al. Race and survival from breast cancer: based on Cancer and Leukemia Group B Trial 8541. Cancer J Sci Am. 1997; 3:107-12. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine; Camden, NJ 08103Corresponding Author: Generosa Grana, MD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, 3 Cooper Plaza, Suite 215, Camden, NJ 08103. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByRisk Behaviours for Developing Breast Cancer: A Multi-disciplinary ApproachWomen's Self-imposed Barriers to Timely Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast CancerCancer preventive screening: A cross-border comparison of United States and Canadian Chinese womenInitial and Repeat Mammography Screening: Different Behaviors/Different PredictorsScreening Mammography Among Chinese Canadian WomenDisparities in Mammography Screening in Rural Areas: Analysis of County Differences in North CarolinaRacial and Educational Differences in Mammography-Related Perceptions Among 1,336 Nonadherent WomenCarcinoma detection at the breast examination center of HarlemDifferences in Breast Cancer Screening Rates: An Issue of Ethnicity or Socioeconomics?Barriers to mammography and pap smear screening among women who recently had neither, one or both types of screeningOutcomes of the Learn, Share & Live breast cancer education program for older urban women 1 May 1998Volume 128, Issue 9Page: 773-775KeywordsBehaviorBreast cancerCervical cancerHealth careHealth care providersMammographyMedical servicesMortalityPopulation statisticsPreventive medicine Issue Published: 1 May 1998 CopyrightCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. 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