Early- and late-stage breast cancer in a managed care setting in relation to mammography screening

A case-control study was conducted to ascertain occurrence of advanced- and early-stage breast cancer, use of mammography, and the relationship between the two. All women with stage III/IV breast cancer (N = 46) were matched to two controls (stage 0/I and stage II) by year of diagnosis and age. Matched-pair analyses assessed antecedent use of screening mammography. Results indicated that advanced-stage patients were significantly less likely than their stage 0/I counterparts to have had antecedent screening within 13 months of diagnosis [chi2: 5.78; OR: 6.0; p < 0.05]. Cases compared with stage II controls did not differ statistically. Efforts should focus on increasing mammography in currently targeted age groups. Considerations might be toward extending regular screening for women 40 to 49 and over 75.