Breast cancer incidence and mammography screening among resettlers in Germany

Abstract

Background: European studies showed that women with a migration background are less likely to participate in mammography screenings than autochthonous women. However, the participation in the German mammography screening programme (MSP) among ethnic German migrants from countries of the former Soviet Union (called resettlers) is unclear so far. The aim of this study was to identify possible differences regarding MSP participation between resettlers from the FSU and the general German population. Methods: Data from two independent, complementary studies from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (a retrospective cohort study 1994-2013; a cross-sectional study 2013/14) were used for comparisons between resettlers and the general population: Odds Ratios (ORs) for MSP participation utilizing the cross-sectional data and time trends of breast cancer incidence rates as well as Chi-Square tests for breast cancer stages utilizing the cohort data. Results: Resettlers showed higher Odds to participate in the MSP than the general population (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.08-5.42). Among resettlers, a large increase in incidence rates was observed during the MSP implementation (2005-2009), resulting in stable and comparable incidence rates after the implementation. Furthermore, pre-MSP implementation, the proportion of advanced breast cancer stages was higher among resettlers than in the German population, post-MSP implementation the proportion was comparable. Conclusions: MSP participating seems surprisingly high among resettlers. An explanation for the increased willingness to participate might be the structured invitation procedure of the MSP. However, the exact reasons remain unclear and future research is needed to confirm this hypothesis and rule out the possibility of selection bias in the cross-sectional study.

Socioeconomic deprivation and cancer survival in a metropolitan area: An analysis of cancer registry data from Hamburg, Germany

“…However, investigations on cancer care will become possible in the future through the national clinical cancer registration in Germany. Migration status was not investigated in our study, although it might be associated with deprivation, [31] screening participation [ 32 , 33 ] and cancer mortality. [34] The same applies to health literacy.…”

The Role of Vaccination and Screening in Limiting the Worldwide Disease Burden of Preventable Female Cancers: A Review

“…Moreover, dedicated prevention protocols should be considered to protect vulnerable populations like female migrants/refugees, considered at higher risk for CC incidence, whereas evidence suggests that women with a migration background of BC tend to acquire the same exposure risk of and are less likely to participate in mammography screenings than autochthonous women [100][101][102]. In the future, preventive measures should be adopted to limit the burden of incidence and mortality of female cancers and be actively offered to the general population in developed and less developed countries.…”

Patient Centered Radiology – An Introduction in Form of a Narrative Review

“…Thus, comprehensive background information is fundamental for a positive feeling with which the patient then faces the examination [17,21]. In the future, this could be improved by multimedia provision of informational and educational videos as well as written material [22,23]. Despite written information, patients may have gaps in their knowledge if they misread or did not understand sections of the material [19].…”

“…So ist eine umfassende Hintergrundinformation grundlegend für ein gutes Gefühl, mit dem sich der Patient dann der Untersuchung stellt [17,21]. Künftig könnte dies durch multimediale Angebote von Informations-und Aufklärungsvideos und Informationen verbessert werden [22,23]. Trotz schriftlicher Aufklärung können bei Patienten Wissenslücken bestehen, wenn sie Abschnitte überlesen oder nicht verstanden haben [19].…”