Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Understanding Challenges To Breast Cancer Screening For African American Women In Detroit: A Study Of Social And Healthcare Inequities, Miranda Goodson, Whitney Bowyer, Erika Lopez, Anna Lundh

Medical Student Research Symposium

African American (AA) women have lower adherence to breast cancer screening guidelines, which may contribute to delayed diagnoses and reduced survival rates. These disparities are often influenced by limited access to quality healthcare and persistent inequities faced within Michigan. With Detroit's population being 77% AA, examining studies focused on the experiences of Black women within urban healthcare networks is essential to understanding the connections between demographic, socioeconomic factors, and breast cancer outcomes. To assess these studies, a literature search was conducted using Ovid Medline yielding 24 associated articles.

Mammogram rates among AA women in Detroit remain low, reflecting a complex …

Perspectives Of People With Cancer Or Hereditary Cancer Risk On The Use And Value Of Online Peer Support, Jill Holdren, Karl Surkan, Andrea Downing

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: People with cancer routinely seek information and support in peer groups online. While peer communities constitute a major component of the health care landscape, they exist in isolation from clinical and research institutions. This study aimed to explore how and why cancer patients utilize online peer support groups and how they might be improved.

Methods: A convenience sample of members of 6 closed Facebook cancer peer support groups (n = 291) participated in an online needs assessment survey. We further conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 members and 6 moderator-patients, hand-coding the free-text responses and interview transcripts.

Results: Group …

Addressing Breast Health Disparities Among Recent, Established African-Born Immigrant Women And Second-Generation Americans In Prince George County, Maryland, Omolola Okunromade

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Breast health disparities and underutilization of screening methods are major concerns in the United States (US), particularly affecting Black women who experience lower survival rates and advanced diagnoses. Despite the rapid growth of the African-born immigrant population, breast health among this group in the US is notably under-examined. This study aims to investigate the breast health knowledge and practices of first-generation African-born immigrants and second-generation immigrant women of African descent, aiming to understand the distinctive attributes of this group and the impact of acculturation on this public health issue.

Methods: Interviews were conducted among First Generation African immigrants and …

Improving Cancer Screening Rates In Primary Care Via Practice Facilitation And Academic Detailing: A Multi-Pbrn Quality Improvement Project, Christopher P. Morley, Laura A. Schad, Laurene M. Tumiel-Berhalter, Laura A. Brady, Alexandrea Bentham, Karen Vitale, Amanda Norton, Gary Noronha, Carlos Swanger

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: In the United States, cancer screening rates are often below national targets. This project implemented practice facilitation and academic detailing aimed at increasing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates in safety-net primary care practices.

Methods: Three practice-based research networks across western and central New York State partnered to provide quality improvement strategies on breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. Pre/postintervention screening rates for all participating practices were collected annually, as were means across all practices over 7 years. Simple ordinary least squares linear regression was used to calculate the trend for each cancer type and test for statistical …

Increasing Breast, Cervical, And Colorectal Cancer Screenings: A Qualitative Assessment Of Barriers And Promoters In Safety-Net Practices, Laura A. Brady, Laurene M. Tumiel-Berhalter, Laura A. Schad, Alexandrea Bentham, Karen Vitale, Amanda Norton, Gary Noronha, Carlos Swanger, Christopher P. Morley

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates are suboptimal in underserved populations. A 7-year quality improvement (QI) project implemented academic detailing and practice facilitation in safety-net primary care practices to increase cancer screening rates. This manuscript assesses barriers and promoters.

Methods: Primary care practices providing care to underserved patients were recruited in New York cities Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Enrollment totaled 31 practices, with 12 practices participating throughout. Annually, each practice received 6 months of practice facilitation support for development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to increase screening rates for the three cancer types. At the end of each …

Improving Mammography Rates Among The Hispanic Population: An Evidence-Based Project Utilizing A Promotora Intervention, Dawn Mirowski

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Hispanic women in the U.S., with mammography being the most effective means of reducing breast cancer mortality. Promotoras have been shown to improve health promotion, including mammography, among the Hispanic population.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In Hispanic women 40 years or older (P), how does the use of a promotora intervention (I), compared to no promotora intervention (C), affect mammography rates (O) within an 8-week period (T)?

Evidence: Twenty-one studies that met the inclusion criteria supported the use of promotoras to improve mammography …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware. The commonly known screening method among …

Group Medical Visits To Provide Gynecologic Care For Women Affected By Breast Cancer, Sally R. Greenwald, Sarah Watson, Mindy Goldman, Tami S. Rowen

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose

Women with breast cancer have complex and unique gynecologic needs that are challenging to effectively and comprehensively meet in a traditional gynecology visit format. Group medical visits are an effective and well-received model of care in other disease settings and can provide comprehensive health education as an adjunct to one-on-one evaluation and treatment. There are limited data regarding the use of this type of health care delivery in providing gynecology-focused care to women affected by breast cancer.

Methods

A group medical visit model was created for gynecology providers to see new breast cancer patient consults. From May 2012 to …

Elevated Expression Of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (Scca) Is Associated With Human Breast Carcinoma, Joseph M. Catanzaro, Jennifer L. Guerriero, Jingxuan Liu, Namratha Sheshadri, John J. Chen, Wei-Xing Zhong

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Faculty Publications

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) belongs to the serine protease inhibitor (Serpin) family of proteins. Elevated expression of SCCA has been used as a biomarker for aggressive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in cancers of the cervix, lung, head and neck, and liver. However, SCCA expression in breast cancer has not been investigated. Immunohistochemical analysis of SCCA expression was performed on tissue microarrays containing breast tumor tissues (n = 1,360) and normal breast epithelium (n = 124). SCCA expression was scored on a tiered scale (0-3) independently by two evaluators blind to the patient's clinical status. SCCA expression was observed in …