Mammography Among Women Residing in Urban Versus Rural Utah: Breast Cancer Survival.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Mammography screening is recommended for women aged 40+.
• Rural women face worse breast cancer survival rates compared to urban women.
• Utah-specific data on rural vs. urban breast cancer screening and mortality were previously lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences in breast cancer screening and mortality between rural and urban women in Utah.
• To assess the impact of mammography screening on breast cancer diagnosis stage and survival outcomes in Utah.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 14,516 invasive breast cancer cases and 63,117 controls in Utah (1998-2017).
• Mammography screening status identified via Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.
• Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models used to analyze diagnosis odds and survival.

Main Results:

• Lower screening mammography usage observed in rural (17.7%) versus urban (20.7%) patients.
• Screening mammograms were associated with higher odds of localized-stage breast cancer diagnosis.
• Rural breast cancer cases showed higher mortality and lower screening rates than urban cases.
• Mammography screening was linked to improved survival for both rural (HR=0.50) and urban (HR=0.56) patients.

Conclusions:

• Mammography screening is associated with better overall breast cancer survival, irrespective of geographic location.
• Efforts to reduce barriers and enhance information about breast cancer screening are needed in Utah's rural and urban areas.
• Increased mammography usage aims to improve early detection and patient outcomes for breast cancer.