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Breast Abnormality Follow-Up Often Later in Black Women

MONDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Black women experience a significant delay in follow-up after discovery of a breast abnormality, a U.S. study has found.

Delayed follow-up of breast abnormalities can mean breast cancer is detected at a later stage, which may reduce the chances of survival, the researchers noted.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina in Columbia analyzed data from the Best Chance Network, a statewide program that provides free mammography to poor and medically underserved women.

Black women were as likely as white women to complete diagnostic procedures after they'd had an abnormal mammogram result. However, black women had a median gap of 44 days between their first clinical exam and completion of a diagnostic follow-up, compared with 40 days for white women.

When the researchers looked at the number of days between the mammogram and the date of a woman's final status, the significant effect of race was no longer evident. Because clinical breast examination typically precedes the diagnostic mammogram, these findings suggest that racial disparities may occur early in the process, the researchers said.

The study is scheduled to be published in the Dec. 15 issue of Cancer.

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