Women with Diabetes 14 Percent Less Likely to be Screened for Breast Cancer

For early breast cancer detection mammograms are essential, but a new study finds that women suffering from diabetes are less likely to have a mammogram compared to women without it.

A screening mammogram is a simple test that helps detect breast cancer in its early stages when it's smaller and easy to treat, thus enhancing the survival rate. The current study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences (ICES) in collaboration with Women's College Hospital found that when compared to women without diabetes, those with diabetes were 14 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer.

This is one of the few studies to look at the influence of socioeconomic status on the gap in mammogram screening among diabetic women.

"Managing the demands of a chronic condition such as diabetes is challenging for many women, leaving other preventative actions, like screening for cancer, to fall by the wayside," Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, a staff physician at Women's College Hospital and an adjunct scientist at ICES, said in a statement. "Our study found having diabetes posed a significant barrier to breast cancer screening even after considering a woman's socioeconomic status, a known contributor to disparities in care among women."

To analyse this association, the researchers evaluated women of ages 50-60 years with diabetes between 1999-2010. On examining the data they saw that women who reported having diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease in which blood sugar levels are too high, were 14 percent less likely to receive mammogram during the recommended screening period compared to those without diabetes. 

Apart from this, the researchers even noticed that low socioeconomic background was a major obstacle in preventive care. This is important as women with diabetes are at an increased risk of breast cancer and have poor survival chance on being diagnosed.

"Given the increasing demands on family doctors today who are seeing more patients than ever before, preventive issues like cancer screening are often overlooked," Dr. Lipscombe added. "Programs that offer incentives and reminders for cancer screening or allow for self-referral may help ensure all women are getting their mammograms when they need them most."

In order to improve cancer screening among diabetes patients, focus should be laid on support and incentive for the care providers and sufficient information for the people of low socioeconomic status.

The finding was documented in the Diabetic Medicine.