Contact: Amy Losak
Mount Sinai Press Office
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Mount Sinai's Digital 3D Mammography Van Rolls Into New York City
New Program Designed to Break Down Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening
Newswise — (New York, NY - October 24, 2018) - Mount Sinai Hospital has launched the Mount Sinai Mobile Mammography Program (MMP), bringing essential breast cancer detection services and education to women in New York City. It is the only van equipped with digital breast tomosynthesis – high-quality, state-of-the-art, digital 3D mammography technology -- serving women in all five boroughs (information about first two screening events are below).
Digital breast tomosynthesis produces images of breast tissue in one-millimeter-thin layers, and allows radiologists to better detect breast tissue abnormalities. The Mount Sinai van also is equipped with an information system that incorporates a breast cancer risk assessment tool, and makes intake and follow-up communications available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, French and Haitian Creole.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection of breast cancer by mammography can save lives. The American College of Radiology recommends that women age 40 and older get screened for breast cancer with mammography ever year.
According to Laurie Margolies, MD, System Chief of Breast Imaging, Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: “Annual screening mammography beginning at age 40 has been shown to save lives. Our goal is to help women understand the benefits of mammographic screening and early detection. We want to break down as many barriers as possible, and encourage women to participate in screening mammography. By reaching women right in their communities, Mount Sinai’s Mobile Mammography Program helps reduce disparities in breast cancer detection and survival in those disproportionately burdened by this disease.”
One out of four women age 40 and older in New York City is not regularly screened for breast cancer. (1) Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, except for skin cancers, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. (2) New York State has one of the highest breast cancer incidence rates in the country (3) in New York City alone, there are approximately 6,000 new cases of breast cancer each year, and more than 1,000 breast cancer-related deaths. (4)
Minority women face significant disparities in breast cancer screening and outcomes. Nationally, less than 50 percent of all Asian, Latina, and Native American women aged 40 and older had a mammogram within the past year. (5) While black women have the highest screening rate among minority women- at 55 percent - they also have the highest breast cancer mortality. (5)
Minority women face interwoven cultural, language, social, and economic barriers that prevent them from obtaining mammograms regularly which leads to poorer breast cancer-related outcomes. Commonly documented barriers include lack of health insurance, limited English proficiency, fatalistic beliefs about breast cancer, and lack of breast cancer screening knowledge. (6, 7)
To address these issues, the Mobile Mammography Program provides culturally targeted educational workshops discussing the importance of mammography screenings. These are offered in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Mount Sinai also offers workshops tailored to the Muslim and LGBTQ communities.
Multi-lingual patient navigators with access to language interpreters are available to assist participants make screening appointments and access follow-up services.
The program is made possible with funds from Health Research, Inc. (HRI) and the State of New York.
“By bringing screening mammography to New Yorkers via this mobile unit and using culturally-based education, we will help save lives,” said Dr. Margolies. “This is our overarching goal. Yearly screening mammography reduces, as much as possible, a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer. Mount Sinai’s new ‘care on wheels’ will make it much easier for many New Yorkers to be screened. We are humbled and honored to play a role in improving women’s health, and to be welcomed by so many community organizations that are hosting Mount Sinai screening and education events.”
Events:
- The first Manhattan screening event will take place on Thursday, October 25 in Times Square at the New York Health Care Safety Net Committee Health Fair with the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 137 West 48th Street, between 6th and 7th
- The second screening event will take place on Saturday, October 27 at the Safe Family Fun Fair in Clove Lakes Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1150 Clove Road in Staten Island. Hosted by Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Plus, the New York City Parks Department, and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon.
More information:
- Screening mammography services for insured patients typically have no out-of-pocket cost. New York State residents who don’t have insurance may be eligible for screenings through the New York State Cancer Services Program if they meet income and age eligibility criteria. 1-866-442-CANCER (2262).
- To track van location and schedule a community event: phone: (844) EZMAMMO (396-2666). Email: [email protected].
Websites: www.mountsinai.org/mobilemammography (English); www.mountsinai.org/mamografiamovil (Spanish)
About Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai’s vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools”, aligned with a U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” Hospital, it is ranked as a leading medical school for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 “Best Hospitals” issue. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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References
(1) New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Breast cancer screening (mammography), 2014 (Age adjusted). https://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/epiquery/sasresults.jsp
(2) New York State Department of Health. Cancer incidence and mortality for New York City, 2011-2015. https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/cancer/registry/vol1/v1rnyc.htm
(3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. United State Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations. Female Breast, All Ages, All Races/Ethnicities, Female Rate per 100,000 Women. https://gis.cdc.gov/Cancer/USCS/DataViz.html
(4) New York State Department of Health. Female breast cancer incidence and mortality by year, New York City, 1975-2015. https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/cancer/registry/table2/tb2breastnyc.htm
(5) American Cancer Society. Breast cancer facts & figures 2017-2018. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society; 2017. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2017-2018.pdf
(6) Gray TF, Cudjoe J, Murphy J, Thorpe JW, Wenzel J, Han H. Disparities in cancer screening practices among minority and underrepresented populations. Seminars in Oncology Nursing. 2017;33(2):184-198.
(7) Moy B, Park ER, Feibelmann S, Chiang S, Weissman JS. Barriers to repeat mammography: cultural perspectives of African‐American, Asian, and Hispanic women. Psycho-oncology. 2005;15(7):623-634.
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