Women of color less likely to receive timely surveillance mammograms after breast cancer treatment

Black, Hispanic, and Asian women were less likely to receive a timely surveillance mammogram after breast cancer treatment than White women, according to a review of 30 studies published between 2000 and 2019.

After diagnosing early-stage breast cancer, physicians will usually develop a plan to monitor for signs the cancer has come back, which can consist of regular mammograms or other types of imaging.

The gap in followup for minority women is a major concern, the researchers wrote, “especially considering the rising racial/ethnic disparity in breast cancer outcomes.”

• See “Timely Surveillance Mammograms Less Likely for Minority Breast Cancer Survivors” by Jamie DePolo on the breastcancer.org website (May 20, 2021)
• See the abstract of the scientific paper “Racial/ethnic disparities in use of surveillance mammogram among breast cancer survivors: a systematic review” by Pragati Advani et al.