Understanding the Role of Mammographic Quality in Wisconsin’s Breast Cancer Disparities

Improving mammographic quality and breast cancer detection and survivorship to reduce Wisconsin's breast cancer disparities

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Full Project Name:Understanding the Role of Mammographic Quality in Wisconsin’s Breast Cancer DisparitiesPrimary Community Organization:Wisconsin Women's Health FoundationPrincipal Investigator:Joan Neuner, MD, MedicineAward Amount:$1,020,287

Award Date

April2021

Project Duration:60 months

Project Summary:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and has the second highest mortality. There are also large disparities in breast cancer survival, with Black women being 50% more likely to die of breast cancer than White women. Mammograms, which are low-energy X-rays to examine the breast, are estimated to reduce breast cancer mortality by approximately 20%. To achieve optimal results, mammography requires technical expertise and strong systems for quality screening and follow up of all abnormal tests. Given the complex steps needed for high-quality mammography, few efforts have focused on variation in mammography quality and its impact on disparate health outcomes.

Through this award, the project will develop a sustainable shared measurement system to identify and track factors perpetuating breast cancer disparities, and inform best practices supporting improved mammographic quality and breast cancer detection and survivorship to reduce Wisconsin's breast cancer disparities.

Project Updates:

Conducted a scan of mammogram sites in southeast Wisconsin to inform data collection needs and potential solutions
Launched the first pilot data collection of existing health care quality metrics of mammography
Demonstrated that applying a transdisciplinary approach to mammographic quality contributes to redefining a high-quality mammogram with a focus on excellent imaging, skilled interpretation, timely follow-up, and the agency and humanity of patients throughout the mammography experience
Validating a transferrable SQL code to extract comparable mammography data with demographic stratification that could also go beyond mammography data and enable any health system/provider to extract data for other exams and quality improvement analyses
Conducted multiple presentations at the local and national level to raise awareness and share project efforts and findings