Screening Recommendations

Avon Foundation for Women responds to the USPSTF recommendations on biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years. According the Task Force, the decision to start regular, biennial screenings before the age of 50 should be an individual one and take patient context into account.

The American Cancer Society recommends a three-pronged approach for early detection: 1) Yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health. 2) Clinical breast exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over. 3) Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.

Community Guide

The Community Guide to Preventive Services is based on a review of evidence-based interventions for increasing rates of breast cancer screening. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommends the use of client reminders, small media (i.e. videos, letters, newsletters, and brochures), one-on-one education, and strategies to remove structural barriers (such as providing transportation, interpretation services, child care, or flexible service hours), as well as linking women with free or low-cost screening services to reduce-out-of-pocket costs for clients.

• Download a copy of the Community Guide summary (PDF)

Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Forum

The Avon Foundation for Women Breast Cancer Forum is focused on programs that enable women to access early detection services and breast cancer treatment. The Forum brings together more than 275 community health educators, patient navigators, nurses and physicians from all 50 states. Collectively, this network of Avon Foundation-funded programs educate more than 1,000,000 each year on breast health care, link 250,000 women to mammography screening and navigate thousands of breast cancer patients through treatment and care. The last Forum was held in San Francisco on February 21-24, 2010.

Selected Abstracts

The May 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine published the results of the Avon BHOP 2008 Evaluation Study. The article,"Use of Evidence-Based Strategies to Promote Mammography Among Medically Underserved Women," discusses the wide use of evidence-based strategies among Avon BHOP-funded organizations. It also explored the high percentage of recent mammography use among women exposed to the strategies, suggesting that medically underserved women are benefiting from effective interventions to increase mammography use. View the abstract here.

“Organization Use of Evidence-Based Strategies to Promote Timely Mammography among Medically Underserved Clients Recruited through the Avon Breast Health Outreach Program”

Promising Practices in Mammography Recruitment, Retention and Rescreening for Breast Cancer Early Detection among Community-Based Programs
Opdyke KM, Pagaduan MG, Chi B, Gates-Ferris K, McDonnell C, Hurlbert M. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2009; supported by the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund

Community-Based Outreach Is an Effective Strategy for Linking Underserved Women to Breast Cancer Screening: Data from the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund
Hurlbert M, Opdyke KM, Gujrati ML, McCulloch A, Gates-Ferris K. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2007

Reaching the Hard to Reach: Evaluation data from the successful, nationwide grassroots screening programs funded by the Avon Foundation 2000-2003
Cicatelli B, Gates-Ferris K, Lee T, Keane T, Tross S, Schachne Pal E. Executive Summary: Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund, 2004

Evaluation of ENCOREplus: A Community-Based Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program
Fernandez ME, DeBor M, Candreia MJ, Wagner A, Stewart K.
Am J. Prev Med 1999;16(3S)