Racial differences in the early detection of breast cancer in metropolitan Detroit, 1978 to 1987

This population-based study presents trends in stage at diagnosis of invasive female breast cancer during the decade from 1978 to 1987 in the Detroit metropolitan area. Its purpose is to determine whether there has been an increase in early breast cancers: those that are smaller than 2 cm at diagnosis and have no axillary lymph node involvement. Trend analyses of tumor size, node status, year of diagnosis, age, and race were performed for 17,216 incident cases drawn from the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System (MDCSS). Although trends toward earlier diagnosis of breast cancer are observed, less improvement is seen for black women than white women in the presentation of breast cancer at smaller, node-free stages. Implications for breast cancer screening are discussed.