Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence among women in Chile and in many Latin American countries. Breast cancer screening has very low compliance among Chilean women.
Methods: We compared the effects on mammography screening rates of standard care, of a low-intensity intervention based on mail contact, and of a high-intensity intervention based on mail plus telephone or personal contact. A random sample of 500 women with the age of 50 to 70 years registered at a community clinic in Santiago who had not had a mammogram in the past 2 years were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention groups. Six months after randomization, participants were re-evaluated for their compliance with mammography screening. The outcome was measured by self-report and by electronic clinical records. An intention to treat model was used to analyze the results.
Results: Between 92% and 93% of participants completed the study. Based on electronic records, mammography screening rates increased significantly from 6% in the control group to 51.8% in the low-intensity group and 70.1% in the high-intensity group. About 14% of participants in each group received opportunistic advice, 100% of participants in the low-and high-intensity groups received the mail contact, and 50% in the high-intensity group received a telephone or personal contact.
Conclusion: A primary care intervention based on mail or brief personal contact could significantly improve mammogram screening rates.
Impact: A relatively simple intervention could have a strong impact in breast cancer prevention in underserved communities. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(9); 2254-61. (C) 2010 AACR.