Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Comparative Study
Impact of a cancer screening program on breast cancer stage at diagnosis in a medically underserved urban community.
Our previous report showed that the disparity in breast carcinoma survival between black and white women because of advanced stage of disease at presentation in poor black women is related to their low socioeconomic status and lack of health insurance. This observation led to establishment of a community-oriented free cancer screening service. ⋯ This study confirms the importance of a free cancer screening program in the improvement of early-stage breast cancer detection, treatment, and survival in a poor urban community.