Breast cancer diagnosis in Inner-City African American and Hispanic women: The importance of early screening

Abstract

PurposeTo evaluate the diagnosis of breast cancer in inner-city African-American and Hispanic women under age 50 to support the importance of screening in this population. MethodsThis retrospective chart review included women newly diagnosed with breast cancer from 1/1/2015 to 1/1/2019 in a city hospital mainly serving minority patients. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for analysis. ResultsIn this cohort of 108 newly diagnosed African-American (63%) and Hispanic (31%) women, 60/108 (56%) presented with a site of palpable concern for diagnostic workup, and the remaining were diagnosed via asymptomatic screening. Women ages 30–49 were significantly more likely to present with a site of palpable concern when compared to women ages 50–69 (68% vs. 44%, p = 0.045). Additionally, women ages 30–49 were more likely to have triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) than women ages 50–69 (20% vs. 10%, p = 0.222). However, women ages 30–49 were less likely to have prior mammogram than women ages 50–69 (24% vs. 46%, p = 0.062). ConclusionAfrican-American and Hispanic women ages 30–49 were more likely to present with a site of palpable concern and TNBC than those ages 50–69. However, these young minority women ages 30–49 were less likely to have prior screening mammograms when compared to those ages 50–69. Our data highlights the importance of starting screening mammography no later than age 40 in African-American and Hispanic women. In addition, these women should have risk assessment for breast cancer no later than age 30 and be screened appropriately.