This October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we reflect on our efforts to reduce the breast cancer burden nationwide and continue our commitment to fighting the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States.
An estimated 266,120 women in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. The prognosis for breast cancer is strongly influenced by the stage of the disease when the patient is diagnosed. When diagnosed at later stages, survival is less likely and costs of treatment are higher. However, over one in three women are not getting screened as recommended, which in part contributes to only 62 percent of breast cancers being diagnosed at an early, local stage.
Getting screened early can save lives from breast cancer, but lack of health insurance poses a major barrier to breast cancer screening. Millions of low-income, uninsured and underinsured women depend on the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program, for access to breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services. However, the NBCCEDP can currently only serve one in every 10 eligible women due to underfunding of the program.
Disparities exist across the cancer continuum, and breast cancer is no exception. The ACS CAN report Cancer Disparities: A Chartbook, released this week, illustrates health disparities throughout the cancer continuum, including cancer incidence, mortality , and survival; access to insurance coverage; screening and early detection; and the behaviors that may increase risk. The following are some of the breast cancer-specific disparities included in the Chartbook:
ACS CAN recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month with our continued support for funding to ensure all women have access to recommended, screening, treatment and follow-up care. All Americans should have access to the potentially lifesaving care they need, and we’ll work this month and year-round to make that happen.
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.