ABSTRACT
This chapter considers opportunities for reducing racial/ethnic (R/E) disparities in breast carcinoma outcomes among elders. It describes R/E differences in breast cancer incidence, prevalence, survival, and mortality as well as the roles of screening, detection, treatment and aftercare in these outcomes. Breast cancer is a major public health problem in the United States. One major contributor to age and R/E disparities in breast cancer mortality is a later stage at diagnosis. Many studies report a more advanced stage of breast cancer at diagnosis in R/E subgroups. A few studies have explicitly analyzed the role of mammography in breast cancer stage at diagnosis. These studies show that lack of mammography use significantly contributes to R/E differences in stage. There are significant R/E and age disparities in breast cancer screening that reduce the effectiveness of early detection efforts. An extensive epidemiological literature has explored factors that may account for R/E disparities in mammography, emphasizing provider and individual factors.
