Breast Cancer Risk Among Women in Jail

Abstract

Over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and incarcerated women face unique risks associated with poor access to healthcare. Regular mammography can diagnose breast cancer early, giving the patient the best chance of survival. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of jail incarcerated women who have received a mammogram and were up-to-date based on the most recent United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. This was a secondary analysis of data collected among jailed women who participated in a cervical cancer literacy program. Rates of mammography were calculated for the group overall and for those women 50 years or older. Subgroups were compared using chi-squared tests. Two hundred sixty-one women were included in the analysis, of which 42.1% (N = 110) had ever had a mammogram. Of women 50 years old or older (N = 28), 75.0% had ever received a mammogram, yet only 39.3% were up-to-date (within the past 2 years). Factors associated with up-to-date mammography included being up-to-date on cervical cancer screening (76.9%) compared with women who were not up-to-date on cervical cancer screening (12.5%), p < 0.01, and women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past year (71.4%) compared with women with no IPV in the past year (14.2%), p = 0.02. The low rates of up-to-date mammography highlight the need for more breast cancer prevention programming among women with criminal justice histories.

Health and Health Service Needs: Comparison of Older and Younger Women with Criminal−Legal Involvement in Three Cities

“…We were encouraged to find that most of the older women in our study at some point in their lives accessed preventive health services, including mammograms (89.2%), Pap tests (98.7%), and, when necessary, follow-up visits for abnormal Pap tests (100%). Other studies with women in the CLS have reported lifetime mammogram rates of around 75%, with up-to-date screenings (i.e., within two years) closer to 40% (Pickett et al, 2018). Our findings related to Pap screenings may not be representative of all CLS-involved older adult women, since participants in one of the three cohorts (the Kansas City group) had participated in a previous interventional study to increase those rates.…”

Cancer Care in the Incarcerated Population

“…Compared with the general population, rates of breast and cervical cancer are higher among incarcerated women, likely related to underscreening before incarceration and while in custody. 16,17 Follow-up of abnormal Papanicolaou test or mammogram findings can also present challenges for incarcerated female patients, particularly in short-stay facilities because women may be released before results are returned. In these cases, tracking systems and contact with community health care professionals may be a potential solution to facilitate postrelease cancer prevention and diagnosis.…”

“…Even if escalated for medical review, incarcerated individuals may still face several challenges in obtaining an evaluation by a qualified health care professional including long waiting lists and requirement for co-pays. 17,18,20 Alternatively, prisons are facilities designated for long-term incarceration (typically >1 year sentence) and the oversight and management of access to care within these facilities is governed at the state and/or federal level providing more central standardization to the working operations. Before 1976, the only medical care offered in 65% of US jails was first aid.…”

Justice-involved women’s preferences for an internet-based Sexual Health Empowerment curriculum

“…Women with criminal justice histories have increased risk for many sexual health-related problems such as increased prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), high rates of unintended pregnancy, cervical cancer, and low rates of up-to-date cervical and breast cancer screening (Javanbakht et al , 2014; Wiehe et al , 2015; Ramaswamy et al , 2017; Pickett et al , 2018; Binswanger et al , 2009; Clarke et al , 2006). As women transition back into the community, they are confronted with a host of competing priorities like seeking stable housing, reconnecting with children, reinstating state assistance, finding employment and meeting other probation and parole requirements (Peabody et al , 2014; Freudenberg et al , 2008).…”