Cost-Effectiveness of Detecting Breast Cancer in Lower Socioeconomic Status African American and Hispanic Women through Mobile Mammography Services

Abstract

Lower socioeconomic status African American and Hispanic women suffer from later-stage detection of breast cancer and higher mortality rates than other American women. Low-cost mobile mammography offers one approach to mitigate this problem. This article identifies the economic costs and cost-effectiveness of operating a mobile mammography program targeting indigent populations. Costs are derived from a current mobile mammography service for a range of operating volume conditions and are applied to different detection rates to determine the cost-effectiveness of programs designed to reach different age, racial, and ethnic segments of indigent populations. Results from this work have broad policy implications and form a foundation for future economic and policy analysis in this area.