Racial Disparities and Strategies for Improving Equity in Diagnostic Follow-Up for Abnormal Screening Mammograms

Black and White women undergo screening mammography at similar rates, but racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes persist. To assess potential contributors, we investigated delays in follow-up after abnormal imaging by race/ethnicity.

Women who underwent screening mammography at our urban academic center from January 2015 to February 2018 and received a Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System 0 assessment were included. Kaplan-Meier estimates described distributions of time between diagnostic events from (1) screening to diagnostic imaging and (2) diagnostic imaging to biopsy. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the associations between race/ethnicity and receipt of follow-up within 15 and 30 days.

Two thousand five hundred and fifty-four women were included (48.6% non-Hispanic [NH] Black, 38.2% NH White, 13.1% other/unknown). Median time between screening and diagnostic imaging varied by race/ethnicity (White: 7 days [IQR, 2-14]; Black: 12 days [IQR, 7-23]; other/unknown: 9 days [IQR, 5-21]). There were similar disparities in days between diagnostic imaging and biopsy (White: 12 [IQR, 7-24]; Black: 21 [IQR, 13-37]; other/unknown: 16 [IQR, 9-30]) and between screening and biopsy (White: 20 [IQR, 11-41]; Black: 35 [IQR, 22-63]; other/unknown: 27.5 [IQR, 17-42]). After adjustment, odds of diagnostic imaging follow-up within 15 days of screening were lower for Black versus White women (odds ratio, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.44 to 0.80]; P < .001).

In this diverse cohort, disparities in timely diagnostic follow-up after abnormal breast screening were observed, with Black women waiting 1.75 times as long as White women to obtain a tissue diagnosis. National guidelines for time to diagnostic follow-up may facilitate more timely breast cancer care and potentially affect outcomes.