Women with diabetes are less likely than others to undergo screening mammography for breast cancer detection. That's the report from a study that compared 424 women with diabetes to control subjects matched for age and other characteristics but without diabetes.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that women with diabetes had significantly lower rates of mammograms than the controls - 78.1% vs 84.9%. After adjusting for insurance status and race, the women with diabetes still had significantly lower rates of mammography.

Screening mammography is a proven method of detecting breast cancer at its earliest stages, when treatment is more likely to succeed. It is recommended every one to two years for women over the age of 40. The incidence of breast cancer is equal in women with and without diabetes.

Sources:  Beckman TJ, Cuddihy RM, Scheitel SM, et al. Screening mammogram utilization in women with diabetes. Diabetes Care, Dec. 1, 2001;24:2049-2053. (Abs.)