Time to Clinical Follow-up after Abnormal Mammogram among African American and Hispanic Women

Background. Time to clinical follow-up after an abnormal mammogram may be a significant factor contributing to breast cancer health disparities. Objective. Evaluate time to follow-up in a cross-sectional cohort of African American and Hispanic women who obtained mammogram screening at a county facility. Methods. Time to follow-up was assessed in days after an abnormal mammogram to subsequent clinical care in a cross-sectional study of 74 women. Results. The median number of days until clinical follow-up after an abnormal mammogram for women in the study was 30 days (Range: 0–357 days). There was a statistically significant difference in the time-to-biopsy among women who had incomplete mammograms and women who had comorbid conditions. Conclusions. This data indicates that county services provide clinical follow-up in compliance with recommended guidelines of 30 days. However, women with incomplete mammograms and comorbid conditions may be at a higher risk of experiencing delays in diagnosis and treatment.