Delays in Breast Cancer Screening Lead to More Cancer
Early detection of breast cancer prevents death. Schedule your mammogram at Bergen Imaging Center today.
We won’t sugar coat it: Research ¹ indicates that missed mammograms during the COVID Pandemic have led to an increase in later stage breast cancer diagnoses, and poorer outcomes.
This disproportionately impacts Black and Brown women who were already more likely to die from breast cancer compared to White women, and received less mammography screenings prior to the emergence of COVID-19.
According to the CDC ², the total number of cancer screening tests received by women through CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program declined by 87% for breast cancer and 84% for cervical cancer during April 2020 as compared with the previous 5-year averages for that month.
The study showed that declines in breast cancer screening varied from 84% percent among Hispanic women to 98% among American Indian/Alaskan Native women.
Declines in cervical cancer screening varied from 82% among Black women to 92% among Asian Pacific Islander women.
COVID-19 Pandemic Exacerbated Health Disparities Among Women of Color
Another study ³ found that screening mammograms among Black women decreased by 53.9 % between April 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
The prolonged delays in screening during the pandemic threaten to exacerbate existing health disparities.
Women – of all races and ethnicities – are being diagnosed with late stage breast cancers and even dying from treatable illness because they missed screening appointments during the COVID Pandemic. We have witnessed the devastation first hand at Bergen Imaging Center.
If you are overdue for your annual mammography please schedule an appointment now before it is too late – and encourage friends and family to do the same.
If you have any questions or concerns please call us at 201-568-4242.
References:
² Sharp Declines in Breast and Cervical Screenings
³ Women of Color, Rural Women More Likely to Miss Breast Cancer Screenings During Pandemic