Patterns and predictors of the breast cancer detection methods in women under 45 years of age (United States) Ralph J. Coates Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, CDC, K-55, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, USA; Ph.: (770) 488-3003; Fax: (770) 488-4639; rjc5@cdc.gov Robert J. Uhler Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, CDC, K-55, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, USA; Ph.: (770) 488-3003; Fax: (770) 488-4639 Donna J. Brogan Department of Biostatistics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA Marilie D. Gammon Division of Epidemiology, Columbia School of Public Health, New York, New York 10032, USA Kathleen E. Malone Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, DC 98104, USA Christine A. Swanson Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA Elaine W. Flagg Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA Louise A. Brinton Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA Abstract Objectives: Few studies have examined methods by which breast cancers are detected, and only one study has been published on predictors of those methods. This study examined patterns and predictors of breast cancer detection methods during 1990–1992 among women age 20–44. Methods: In-person interview and medical record data were obtained during a population-based case–control study of 1619 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer in three areas of the United States (US). Results: Seventy-one percent of the cancers were identified by self-detection, 9% by routine clinical breast exam (CBE), and 20% by routine mammography. Cancers detected by mammography and CBE, but not those detected by breast self-exam, were much more likely to be early-stage. Detection by mammography increased with age, and a history of mammography use was associated with detection by mammography or CBE. Several commonly studied predictors of screening utilization in the US population were associated with CBE detection, but were less clearly related to or unrelated to mammography detection. Conclusion: Findings suggest that, during the 1990s in the US, most breast cancers among women under age 45, including those age 40–44, were self-detected. Few factors other than age and prior screening are verified predictors of method of breast cancer detection. Cancer Causes and Control 12 (5):431-442, June 2001. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.