Engaging Diverse Underserved Communities to Bridge the Mammography Divide

Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the U.S.1 in spite of being preventable, easily detectable, and curable.2-11 Breast screening continues to be underutilized by the general population and especially by traditionally underserved minority populations. Two of the least screened minority groups are American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) and Latinas. American Indian/Alaska Native women have the poorest recorded 5-year cancer survival rates of any ethnic group and the lowest (or near-lowest) screening rates for major cancers.12 Furthermore, breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer mortality among Latina women.13 While breast cancer screening rates have increased nationally, there has been an increase in the gap in breast cancer screening utilization between individuals from minority versus majority racial/ethnic groups.