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Once again, here’s more evidence that underscores the importance of breast cancer screening for Latinas:
From the Houston Chronicle:
Mexican-American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a significantly younger age than Caucasian women, a surprising finding from a new study that raises more questions about the recent push to delay routine screening.
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers surveyed women in Hispanic neighborhoods in Harris County and found nearly half of those with the potentially deadly disease were diagnosed before they turned 50, about 10 years earlier than the national average for all women.
“This study shows the need to consider all populations when developing prevention and screening strategies,” said Melissa Bondy, an M.D. Anderson epidemiologist and the study’s senior corresponding author. “The problem is there simply haven’t been enough studies of minority populations to develop strong risk assessment models necessary for optimal screening strategies.”
The study suggests a huge number of breast cancer cases wouldn’t be caught at early stages under new screening guidelines [screening at age 50, not 40] issued last year.
Latinas, if you need another reason, watch our emotional Latino breast cancer screening PSA:
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
