Vital Signs: Breast Cancer Screening Among Women Aged 50-74 Years-United States, 2008 (Reprinted from MMWR, vol 59, pg 813-816, 2010)

Background: Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States. Screening with treatment has lowered breast cancer mortality. Methods: Every 2 years, CDC uses Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate mammography prevalence in the United States. Up-to-date mammography prevalence is calculated for women aged 50-74 years who report they had the test in the preceding 2 years. Results: For 2008, overall, age-adjusted, up-to-date mammography prevalence for U.S. women aged 50-74 years was 81.1%, compared with 81.5% in 2006. Among the lowest prevalences reported were those by women aged 50-59 years (79.9%), persons who did not finish high school (72.6%), American Indian/Alaska Natives (70.4%), those with annual household income <$15,000 (69.4%), and those without health insurance (56.3%). Highest mammography prevalence was among residents of the northeastern United States. Conclusions: In recent years, mammography rates have plateaued. Critical gaps in screening remain for certain racial/ethnic groups and lower socioeconomic groups, and for the uninsured. Implications for Public Health Practice: Health-care reform is likely to increase access by increasing insurance coverage and by reducing out-of-pocket costs for mammography screening. Widespread implementation of evidence-based interventions also will be needed to increase screening rates. These include patient and provider reminders to schedule a mammogram, use of small media (e.g., videos, letters, brochures, and flyers), one-on-one education of women, and reduction of structural barriers (e.g., more convenient hours and attention to language, health literacy, and cultural factors). Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. In 2006 (the most recent data available), approximately 191,410 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 40,820 women died.(1) The incidence and mortality have been declining since 1996 at a rate of approximately 2% per year,(2) possibly as a result of widespread screening with mammography and the development of more effective therapies.(3) Mammography use declined slightly in 2004, but rose again in 2006.(4,5) This Vital Signs report updates mammography screening prevalence in the United States, using data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).