New Cancer Study Results from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Described (Association Between Dense Breast Legislation and Cancer Stage At Diagnosis): Cancer

2021 DEC 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx Policy and Law Daily -- Research findings on Cancer are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting from Hershey, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Many states have mandated breast density notification and insurance coverage for additional screening; yet, the association between such legislation and stage of diagnosis for breast cancer is unclear. This study investigates this association and examines the differential impacts among different age and race/ethnicity subgroups.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), “The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried to identify patients with breast cancer aged 40-74 years diagnosed between 2005 and 2016. Using a difference-in-differences multinomial logistic model, the odds of being diagnosed at different stages of cancer relative to the localized stage depending on legislation and individual characteristics were examined. Analyses were conducted in 2020-2021. The study included 689,641 cases. Overall, the impact of notification legislation was not significant, whereas insurance coverage legislation was associated with 6% lower odds (OR=0.94, 95% CI=0.91, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the regional stage. The association between insurance coverage legislation and stage of diagnosis was even stronger among women aged 40-49 years, with 11% lower odds (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.82, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the regional stage and 12% lower odds (OR=0.88, 95% CI=0.81, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the distant stage. Hispanic women benefited from notification laws, with 11% lower odds (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.82, 0.97) of being diagnosed at distant stage. Neither notification nor supplemental screening insurance coverage legislation showed a substantial impact on Black women. The findings imply that improving insurance coverage is more important than being noti-fied overall.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Raising awareness is important among Hispanic women; improving communication about dense breasts and access to screening might be more important than legislation among Black women.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Association Between Dense Breast Legislation and Cancer Stage At Diagnosis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2021;61(6):890-899. American Journal of Preventive Medicine can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; American Journal of Preventive Medicine - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/american-journal-of-preventive-medicine/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Chan Shen, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), Dept. of Surgery, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine, 500 Univ Dr, H151, Hershey, PA 17033, United States. Additional authors for this research include Daleela G. Dodge, Kelly A. Stahl, Jennifer L. Moss, Shouhao Zhou, Douglas L. Leslie, Eugene J. Lengerich, Alison L. Chetlen, Mack T. Ruff and Roger W. Klein.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.05.020. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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