Purpose of review: To review current social barriers to breast cancer screening and highlight interventions designed to increase breast cancer screening through equity-focused strategies.
Recent findings: Despite strong evidence supporting breast cancer screening, the benefits are not experienced equitably across populations. Social determinants of health including neighborhood and built environment, economic stability, education access and quality, social and community context, and healthcare access and quality are interrelated and shape access to and uptake of breast cancer screening. Interventions aimed at addressing these determinants have demonstrated potential to increase breast cancer screenings and may reduce disparities in stage at cancer diagnosis and timely treatment. Strategies that have been shown to improve screening rates include mobile mammography, cost reduction or elimination, technology interventions, and patient navigation services.
Summary: Advancing equity in cancer prevention through breast cancer screening will require actionable strategies to measure, understand, and address multilevel social determinants of health. Future efforts should prioritize evidence-based interventions to increase screening uptake among diverse populations.
Rademacher N, Wall CS, Huynh VD. Barriers to solutions: a framework guided review of social determinants of breast cancer screening and interventions designed to address them. Current Breast Cancer Reports. 2026;18(1). DOI:10.1007/s12609-026-00672-y.
University of California San Francisco