Asian women less apt to undergo mammography follow-up

Asian women are less likely to receive appropriate follow-up tests after an abnormal mammogram compared with white women, according to a study published online on June 12 in Cancer.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found that Asian women had a 15% rate of not receiving follow-up one year after an abnormal mammogram, compared with white women, who had a rate of 10%.

A team led by Kim Hanh Nguyen, ScD, included data from 50,970 women in the San Francisco area with mammogram results between 2000 and 2010 that showed a need for further diagnostic imaging. The group found that among Asian women, Vietnamese, Filipina, and Japanese women had the longest median time to follow-up imaging tests at 32, 28, and 19 days, respectively, compared with non-Hispanic white women at 15 days.

In addition, the proportion of women receiving follow-up tests at 30 days was lower for Asians than for non-Hispanic whites (57% versus 77%). These disparities continued at 60 and 90 days for all Asian ethnic groups except Japanese women, the researchers found.

The findings suggest a need to investigate and address barriers to effective cancer prevention in Asian women, according to the study authors.

"Rather than being a monolithic group, Asians are, in fact, very diverse in nationalities, language, immigration history, education, and economic background," Nguyen said in a statement released by the journal. "Recognizing differences among Asians may help clinicians develop better rapport and communication with their Asian patients, which can improve adherence to screening recommendations."