Researchers from Georgia have found that areas of the state with less access to mammography have higher mortality rates for breast cancer -- although areas with the best access don't necessarily have the lowest mortality rates.
Drs. Kandace Klein and James Rawson from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta used mapping and statistical software to examine the number of mammography facilities in each Georgia county and whether there was a relationship between the prevalence of mammography sites and breast cancer mortality rates. They presented their findings at the recent RSNA meeting in Chicago.
There are 159 counties in Georgia but only 58 have calculated breast cancer mortality rates, and 56 of the 159 counties do not have a Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA)-certified mammography site at all.
Klein and Rawson found that four counties in Georgia have calculated mortality rates for breast cancer but no certified mammography facility; these counties have an average breast cancer mortality rate of 34.1%, compared to 25.4% overall for the state of Georgia and 25.5% for the U.S.
However, the study didn't necessarily find that more sites meant lower mortality rates. The county with the most mammography facilities actually had a higher mortality rate than the state average.
Klein and Rawson also found that 19 counties have a calculated mortality rate and only one mammography site -- these counties' average breast cancer mortality rate is 27.5%. The five counties with the highest breast cancer mortality rates have an average of 1.2 MQSA-certified mammography sites per county.
By Kate Madden Yee
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
January 13, 2010
Related Reading
Controversy can't alter facts: Screening mammography has proven benefits, December 2, 2009
Medicaid coverage no barrier to mammography access, December 2, 2009
Sidestepping screening: What factors make women avoid annual mammography? October 10, 2005
Radiologist shortage limits mammography access, August 26, 2005
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