Racial Disparities Found in Same-Day Breast Diagnostic Services
After an abnormal mammogram, members of racial and ethnic minority groups were less likely to receive same-day diagnostic follow-up care, such as more imaging and a biopsy.
The study was published in Radiology.
Key takeaways
Same-day diagnostic follow-up care services were equally available to women of all racial and ethnic groups.
Still, even though the services were available, racial and ethnic minority women were less likely to receive same-day, standard-of-care diagnostic imaging than white women.
Women living in neighborhoods with a lower average income were also less likely to receive standard-of-care diagnostic imaging than women from more affluent neighborhoods.
What this means for you
After an abnormal mammogram, doctors recommend more imaging and maybe a biopsy to diagnose breast cancer as early as possible. If possible, these follow-up diagnostic tests should be done the same day. Diagnosing breast cancer early and receiving timely care is linked to better outcomes.
If your screening mammogram results are abnormal, it’s a good idea to talk to the doctor or technician at the facility about follow-up diagnostic testing and how you can have it done the same day. Although not all mammogram facilities offer these additional tests on-site, they can refer you to a facility that does. If you ask, they may be able to help you schedule an appointment for the tests you need.
About the study
Researchers have known for decades that Black women are about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Studies have suggested that a number of factors contribute to this disparity, including timely access to care.
The researchers wanted to know if differences in access to timely diagnostic follow-up care after an abnormal screening mammogram contribute to disparities in breast cancer outcomes among different racial, ethnic, and economic groups.
They looked at 3.5 million screening mammograms and follow-up care done on 1.1 million women at 136 U.S. facilities between January 2010 and December 2020. Among the women in the study, about 68% were white, 13% were Black, 10% were Asian, 6.5% were Hispanic, and 2.2% were of other races or ethnicities. Half the women were younger than 59 and half were older.
Detailed results
About 9% of the 3.5 million screening mammograms — 17,772 — returned abnormal results.
About 66% of the facilities offered on-site, same-day follow-up imaging or biopsy services. All racial and ethnic groups had the same access to on-site, same-day follow-up care.
In general, women in ethnic and minority groups were less likely than white women to receive same-day follow-up diagnostic care after an abnormal mammogram:
Black women were about 50% less likely than white women to receive same-day imaging or biopsy.
Hispanic women were about 40% less likely than white women to receive same-day imaging, but 40% more likely to receive a same-day biopsy.
Asian women were about 25% less likely to receive same-day imaging and 2% less likely to receive same-day biopsy than white women.
In addition, women living in the lowest-income neighborhoods were 58% less likely to receive same-day follow-up diagnostic care than women living in the highest income neighborhoods.
The researchers also found that certain groups had less access to certain diagnostic tests. For example, compared to white women, Asian and Black women were less likely to have follow-up 3D mammograms — also called digital tomosynthesis — within 90 days of an abnormal mammogram.
“Despite having similar availability of diagnostic breast imaging services, there were substantial differences in whether patients received some of these services by race and ethnicity and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status,” study author Marissa Lawson, MD, MS, said in a statement. She is assistant professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Identifying and understanding the disparities in diagnostic breast imaging … may ultimately improve breast cancer outcomes and patient satisfaction.”
— Last updated on August 26, 2025 at 7:27 PM