Racial inequities in the timing of breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and initiation of treatment

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest differences in quality and timeliness of care received may be major contributing sources to the racial disparity in breast cancer detection and related outcomes. METHODS: Female patients with breast cancer diagnosed during 1985-1993 (n=400) and followed through June 20, 2001, were included in this retrospective cohort study. Three white patients were selected randomly and matched to each black patient by year of diagnosis. Method and timing of diagnosis and timing of treatment were abstracted from medical records. Initial staging and subsequent breast cancer recurrence and vital status were obtained from the Hospital and Connecticut State Tumor Registry. RESULTS: Black women were more likely than white women to be diagnosed after a patient-noted abnormality. Black women were less likely than white women to have completed a diagnostic evaluation within 30 days after a patient-noted abnormality (P