Breast cancer screening behaviors among African American women with a strong family history of breast cancer

Despite the importance of breast cancer screening to reduce morbidity and mortality, limited information is available on screening practices among African American women with a family history that is suggestive of hereditary breast cancer.To describe adherence to breast cancer screening recommendations among African American women with a family history that is suggestive of hereditary disease.Participants were unaffected African American women (n=65) who had a family history of cancer that was suggestive of hereditary breast cancer. Breast cancer screening practices were evaluated by self-report. The study was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Women were recruited to participate in the study from February 2003-December 2005.Most women were adherent to recommendations for mammography (75%) and CBE (93%). A sizeable minority of women (41%) also performed excessive BSE. Being older than age 50 was associated significantly with mammography adherence (FET0.05). Employment had a significant independent association with BSE; unemployed women were most likely to perform excessive BSE (OR=3.28, 95% CI: 1.05, 10.21, p0.05).The results of this study suggest a complex pattern of breast cancer screening practices among African American women at increased risk for hereditary breast cancer.