MEDICATIONS: MORE WOMEN GET MAMMOGRAMS

Study finds exam backlogs throughout Wisconsin

Word is out that mammograms are the best tool for early detection of breast cancer.

"Forty-three percent of screening facilities now have a backlog greater than three weeks, with only 4 percent of facilities able to accommodate patients within one to three days of a request," according to a study published in the latest issue of the Wisconsin Medical Journal, the official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin (SMS of WI).

The lead author, Pamela A. Propeck, M.D., is an associate professor with the Department of Radiology at Madison's University of Wisconsin Hospital. She surveyed 116 mammography sites, most of which were in Wisconsin.

However, for patients with a known breast problem, the study finds 91 percent of facilities were able to serve those women within 14 days.

The American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society and other health advocacy organizations have promoted the value of mammography screening, and women have responded.

"This backlog problem will continue to be compounded as more women enter the medical system and more women are put into the annual screening schedule instead of the biannual schedule," the authors write.

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