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PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Breast Cancer Screening (Mammography)

Why Is This Important?

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in U.S. women (excluding basal and squamous cell skin cancers). It is also the leading cause of female cancer death in Utah. Deaths from breast cancer can be substantially reduced if the tumor is discovered at an early stage. Mammography is currently the best method for detecting cancer early. Clinical trials and observational studies have demonstrated that routine screening with mammography can reduce breast cancer mortality by about 20% for women of average risk.^1^[[br]] [[br]] '''Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations (American Cancer Society):'''[[br]] __Before Age 40__: Women who are at higher than average risk of breast cancer (due to family history of breast cancer, BRCA 1 or 2 genetic mutations, or who received thoracic irradiation between the ages of 10 and 30) should seek expert medical advice about whether they should begin screening before age 40 and the frequency of that screening.[[br]] __Age 40-44__: Women with average risk of developing breast cancer may consider being screened annually for breast cancer. Women at higher risk should consult with their physician.[[br]] __Age 45-54__: Women with average risk of developing breast cancer should be screened annually for breast cancer. Women at higher risk should consult with their physician.[[br]] __Age 55-75__: Women with average risk of developing breast cancer may be screened annually or biennially for breast cancer. Women at higher risk should consult with their physician.[[br]] __Age 76+__: Annual or biennial breast cancer screening should continue for women who are in good health and who are expected to live an additional 10+ years. [[br]] [[br]] If you are age 40 or over, or have a family history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor about the best screening guidelines for you.[[br]] [[br]] ---- ''1. Myers ER, Moorman P, Gierisch JM, et al. Benefits and harms of breast cancer screening. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.13183.''

Mammogram Within the Past Two Years, Utah and U.S., 1989-2020

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confidence limits

Data Sources

  • Utah Data: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Office of Public Health Assessment, Utah Department of Health
  • U.S. Data: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Division of Behavioral Surveillance, CDC Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

Data Notes

Age-adjusted to U.S. 2000 standard population. Data provided for all years available. Old Methodology: Previous BRFSS methodology used "post-stratification" which was used to weight data by age, gender, and local health district (LHD). New Methodology: To reduce bias and more accurately represent population data, the BRFSS has changed survey methodology. It began conducting surveys by cellular phone in addition to landline phones. It also adopted "iterative proportional fitting" (raking) as its weighting method. With raking, education, race/ethnicity, marital status, home ownership/renter, and telephone source are included in the weighting procedure. Due to changes in sampling and weighting methodology, data from the new methodology represents a new baseline, and comparisons from new to old methodology data are not appropriate.

Risk Factors

The most important risk factor for breast cancer is increasing age. Other established risk factors include personal or family history of breast cancer, history of abnormal breast biopsy, genetic alterations, early age at onset of menses, late age at onset of menopause, never having children or having a first live birth at age 30 or older, and history of exposure to high dose radiation. Associations have also been suggested between breast cancer and oral contraceptives, long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, obesity (in post-menopausal women), alcohol, and a diet high in fat. Some studies suggest that exercise in youth might give life-long protection against breast cancer and that even moderate physical activity as an adult could lower breast cancer risk. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

How Are We Doing?

Between 1989 and 2020, the percentage of Utah women aged 40 or older who reported receiving a mammogram within the last two years increased from 51.6% to 62.7%. Although rates have increased some over time, the rate in Utah still falls far below the national average. The 2020 breast cancer screening rate in Utah was 62.7%, significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 69.0%. In 2020, TriCounty Local Health District (LHD) had the lowest percentage of mammograms rates, while Summit County LHD had the highest (47.2% and 69.5%, respectively). See additional data views for more specific geographic differences between the Utah Small Areas. For the same year, there were no significant differences in mammography screening rates between Hispanic and non-Hispanic ethnic groups, nor were there any significant differences in rates among different racial groups for combined data years 2018, 2019, and 2020. Mammography rates generally tend to increase as age of the woman, education level of the woman, and amount of household income increases. In 2019 and 2020 combined, women age 40-49 had significantly lower rates of mammography screening (52.8%) than older women (69.3%; most likely due to differing guidelines concerning the age at which breast cancer screening should begin). Looking at the highest level of education completed for the same time period, college graduates were significantly more likely to have received a mammogram (69.1%) than the general population (63.3%). In the same timeframe, women in households with an annual income of less than $25,000 were significantly less likely to have had a mammogram in the past two years (56.3%) compared to other women, whereas women in households with an annual income of more than $75,000 were more likely to have had a mammogram in the past two years (69.0%).

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Cancer Control Program (UCCP) in the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) provides free breast cancer screening and diagnostics to uninsured or under-insured women ages 40-74 years whose income is at or below the 250% federal poverty level. Women in need of cancer treatment are enrolled into Medicaid as per the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act. In addition to providing care to under-served women, the UCCP works with health-systems to implement evidence-based practices to improve cancer screening rates. Visit [http://www.cancerutah.org] for more information or to see if you qualify for free mammography services. The Utah Comprehensive Cancer Control program (CCC) and its affiliated coalition, the Utah Cancer Action Network (UCAN), work together with state and local partners to reduce the burden of cancer in Utah. Their mission is to lower cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality in Utah through collaborative efforts directed toward cancer prevention and control. As a result, they support community-based strategies around food security, healthy neighborhoods, access to health care, and financial toxicity in order to prevent cancer; detect cancer early; and improve the lives of cancer survivors, caregivers, and their families. Additionally, CCC receives funding to implement cancer prevention and control strategies identified by the program and UCAN coalition.

Healthy People Objective: Increase the proportion of women who receive a breast cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines

U.S. Target: 81.1 percent
State Target: 76 percent

Date Indicator Content Last Updated: 11/04/2021


Other Views

The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.state.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Thu, 28 March 2024 14:19:11 from Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.gov ".

Content updated: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 15:09:31 MST