Review of more than 800,000 mammograms reveals
Black women less likely to be screened via digital breast
tomosynthesis, despite the technology being proven superior to
traditional mammography for all women
A comprehensive study published in the Journal of the American
College of Radiology (JACR) found racial disparities in the
utilization of mammography screening overall, and specifically for
digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT).
The study, “Outcomes by Race in Breast Cancer Screening with
Digital Breast Tomosynthesis versus Digital Mammography,” reported
breast cancer screening access, utilization and outcomes by race
for 385,504 Asian, Black and Caucasian women who underwent a total
of 804,304 screening exams at 63 breast imaging facilities in the
United States from January 2015 through January 2019. The study was
commissioned by Hologic, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOLX), the world leader in
breast cancer screening technology and manufacturer of 3D
Mammography™ systems.
The findings are particularly concerning since research has
shown that, despite having a similar breast cancer incidence rate,
Black women are almost 40 percent more likely to die from breast
cancer than non-Hispanic white women.1
“Despite the fact that DBT is considered to be the “better
mammogram” for breast cancer screening and is becoming the standard
of care in the U.S., our study revealed significant racial
disparities in who receives this superior technology,” said Emily
Conant, MD, study author and division chief, breast imaging,
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “The
data suggests that this disparity in access, coupled with the known
increase in breast cancer mortality among Black women, is an urgent
issue that should be addressed. Improving access to DBT may help
improve the effectiveness of breast cancer screening for Black
women.”
Improving breast cancer outcomes for Black women
The JACR review found that screening via DBT improved both
recall rates and cancer detection for women of all races. However,
it also revealed that Black women were less likely to receive a DBT
mammogram and less likely to be screened multiple times during the
five-year period than Caucasian women.
The study authors concluded that racial differences in screening
frequency and DBT utilization are likely rooted in social,
economic, cultural and educational disparities, and that less
frequent screening of Black women indicates a need for improved
access and educational strategies to emphasize the importance of
regular screening.2 Additionally, government and local policies and
guidelines must be improved to decrease barriers to screening,
particularly with DBT.
“We’ve long known that while breast cancer incidence rates for
Black and white women are comparable, Black women are more likely
to receive conventional digital mammography screening and also
experience longer intervals between detection, diagnosis and
treatment,” said Linda Goler Blount, MPH, study author and
president and CEO, Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI). “This
study illuminates the unfortunate reality of this disparity and
underscores that the solution is rooted in increasing education
and, most importantly, access to superior breast cancer screening
modalities, such as DBT, for Black women.”
Expanded access to 3D mammography technology and the opportunity
for earlier diagnosis through improved cancer detection are
especially relevant for Black women, who get breast cancer younger
than white women, are more likely to have late-stage diagnoses, and
have lower survival rates.3,4,5
Hologic commits to tackling racial health disparities
Hologic, an innovative medical technology company primarily
focused on improving women’s health, commissioned this research as
part of an ongoing project analyzing mammograms, screening
intervals and interpretation performance across health systems
throughout the United States.
The company recently announced a multi-year commitment to
decreasing breast cancer screening disparities for Black women in
partnership with BWHI, the only national nonprofit organization
created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and
wellness of Black women and girls through awareness and education,
and RAD-AID, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring equal access to
radiology health services for medically underserved
communities.
The multi-pronged initiative includes BWHI’s P.O.W.E.R. of Sure
campaign, which examines common barriers to early screening and
encourages Black women to schedule and attend their annual
mammograms. Additionally, Hologic will fund innovative care,
radiology, public education and nurse navigation at multiregional
sites selected by RAD-AID as clinical partners to provide critical
screening and diagnostic breast imaging, and to provide treatment
for women who may otherwise go without.
Facilities supported through this collaborative program will be
equipped with Hologic’s 3D Mammography™ system, which features the
Genius® 3D Mammography™ exam. The Genius exam is the only mammogram
FDA approved as superior to 2D mammography for all women, including
those with dense breasts, which is common among Black
women.6,7,8,9
“Once again, a clinical study has proven the superiority of 3D
mammography technology, the standard of care for annual breast
cancer screening, for all women,” said Jennifer Meade, Hologic’s
division president, breast and skeletal health solutions. “This
study also emphasizes the longstanding disparities that prevent
Black women from achieving health equity, and reinforces the need
for efforts such as those we launched late last year in partnership
with BWHI and RAD-AID.”
The Genius® 3D Mammography™ exam (also known as the Genius®
exam) is only available on a Hologic® 3D Mammography™ system. It
consists of a 2D and 3D® image set, where the 2D image can be
either an acquired 2D image or a 2D image generated from the 3D™
image set. There are more than 7,000 Hologic 3D Mammography™
systems in use in the United States alone, so women have convenient
access to the Genius exam. To learn more, visit
http://www.Genius3DNearMe.com.
About Hologic, Inc.
Hologic, Inc. is an innovative medical technology company
primarily focused on improving women’s health and well-being
through early detection and treatment. For more information on
Hologic, visit www.hologic.com.
Hologic, 3D, 3D Mammography, and Genius are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of Hologic, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries in
the United States and/or other countries.
1 CDC, 2019. Health United States, 2018. Table 33 2 Rauscher GH,
Allgood KL, Whitman S, Conant E. Disparities in screening
mammography services by race/ethnicity and health insurance. J
Womens Health (Larchmt). Feb 2012;21(2):154-160. 3 American Cancer
Society. Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2019-20. 2019. 4 Passmore
SR, Williams-Parry KF, Casper E, Thomas SB. Message Received:
African American Women and Breast Cancer Screening. Health
promotion practice. Sep 2017;18(5):726-733. 5 Sighoko D, Murphy A,
Irizarry B, Rauscher G, Ferrans C, Ansell D. Changes in the racial
disparity in breast cancer mortality in the ten US citiies with the
largest African American populations from 1999 to 2013; The
reduction in breast cancer mortality dispairty in Chicago. Cancer
causes & control : CCC. 2017;28(6):563-568. 6 Results from
Friedewald, SM, et al. “Breast cancer screening using tomosynthesis
in combination with digital mammography.” JAMA 311.24 (2014):
2499-2507; a multi-site (13), non-randomized, historical control
study of 454,000 screening mammograms investigating the initial
impact the introduction of the Hologic Selenia® Dimensions® on
screening outcomes. Individual results may vary. The study found an
average 41% increase and that 1.2 (95% CI: 0.8-1.6) additional
invasive breast cancers per 1,000 screening exams were found in
women receiving combined 2D FFDM and 3D™ mammograms acquired with
the Hologic 3D Mammography™ System versus women receiving 2D FFDM
mammograms only. 7 Bernardi D, Macaskill P, Pellegrini M, et. al.
Breast cancer screening with tomosynthesis (3D mammography) with
acquired or synthetic 2D mammography compared with 2D mammography
alone (STORM-2): a population-based prospective study. Lancet
Oncol. 2016 Aug;17(8):1105-13. 8 FDA submissions P080003,
P080003/S001, P080003/S004, P080003/S005. 9 McCarthy A, Keller, M,
et. al. Racial Differences in Quantitative Measures of Area and
Volumetric Breast Density. Journal of the National Cancer
Institute. 2016 Apr; 10.1093/jncl/djw104.
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Media Contact: Jane Mazur
508.263.8764 (direct) 585.355.5978 (mobile)
jane.mazur@hologic.com
Investor Contact: Michael
Watts 858.410.8588 michael.watts@hologic.com
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