Marlborough, Mass. — More than one in three U.S. women ages 35 to 75 have skipped or delayed a recommended mammogram, according to a new survey released by Hologic.
The survey of 1,000 women found that 37% had postponed or missed a recommended screening. Among those women, four in 10 had gone more than two years without a mammogram.
Hologic said the findings point to barriers including limited provider engagement, uncertainty about costs, transportation difficulties and misconceptions about mammography.
“These findings show that what stands between a woman and a potentially lifesaving mammogram is rarely a single obstacle,” said Jyoti Gupta, PhD, CEO of Hologic’s Breast and Skeletal Health Solutions business. “More often, it’s a missed reminder, a conversation that never happened or uncertainty about which screenings she needs and what they may cost her.”
Nearly one in four women who were overdue for screening said a direct recommendation from their doctor would be the strongest motivation to get a mammogram.
The survey found that half of women do not routinely see an OB-GYN, while 20% of eligible women who have never been screened said they had never been told they needed a mammogram.
Cost uncertainty was another factor. More than one-third of respondents, or 36%, said they did not know or did not believe that preventive screening mammograms are covered under most insurance plans at no cost.
Transportation and other socioeconomic barriers were also associated with lower screening rates. Hologic said 59% of women facing transportation barriers had skipped a mammogram, compared with 31% of women without those barriers.
Similar gaps were reported among women experiencing housing instability and food insecurity.
The survey also identified misconceptions about radiation exposure. Forty-three percent of respondents said they believed, or were unsure whether, mammograms expose patients to dangerous radiation levels.
Hologic said a standard screening mammogram exposes a patient to about 0.4 millisieverts of radiation, roughly equivalent to the amount of natural background radiation a person receives over one to two months.
The survey also found significant gaps in understanding breast density. Fifty-seven percent of respondents did not know that dense breasts can increase breast cancer risk, while 66% believed dense breasts could be detected by touch.
Among women who had undergone mammography, 37% said they did not have a meaningful conversation about breast density after their most recent screening. Among women with dense breasts, 40% said they had never been advised to undergo additional screening.
Hologic said the findings underscore the need for clearer education about breast cancer screening, breast density, insurance coverage and common misconceptions.
The company is continuing its #BustTheMyth patient education campaign for a third year, using social media, videos, educational materials and healthcare provider outreach to provide information about breast cancer screening and breast density.
