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SPOKANE, Wash. Breast cancer screening took a sizeable hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests new research that showed that the number of screening mammograms completed in a large group of women living in Washington State plummeted by nearly half. Published today in
JAMA Network Open, the study found the steepest drop-offs among women of color and those living in rural communities. Detecting breast cancer at an early stage dramatically increases the chances that treatment will be successful, said lead study author Ofer Amram, an assistant professor in the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine whose research focuses on health inequities. Our study findings suggest that health care providers need to double down on efforts to maintain prevention services and reach out to these underserved populations, who faced considerable health disparities even before the pandemic.
A new study by WSU scientists shows that the number of screening mammograms completed in a large group of women living in Washington State plummeted by nearly half.
KXLY
May 24, 2021 9:57 AM Rylee Fitzgerald
Updated:
SPOKANE, Wash. New research shows that the number of screening mammograms of women living in Washington plummeted by nearly half during the pandemic. The study determined that the largest drop-offs are amongst women of color and those living in rural communities.
“Detecting breast cancer at an early stage dramatically increases the chances that treatment will be successful,” lead study author Ofer Amram said. “Our study findings suggest that health care providers need to double down on efforts to maintain prevention services and reach out to these underserved populations, who faced considerable health disparities even before the pandemic.”