Mammography Utilization: Patient Characteristics and Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis

Abstract

Missing a mammogram, even in the year before a breast cancer diagnosis, increases the chance of a cancer diagnosis at a later stage. Interventions to encourage use of mammography may be of particular benefit to women most likely to miss mammograms, including those with no family history of breast cancer, fewer encounters with the health care system, and greater travel distance to the mammography center.