Apr 11, 2014 03:41 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Women with diabetes are less likely to undergo mammogram screening, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Women's College Hospital found that women with diabetes are 14 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer compared to women without diabetes.

"Managing the demands of a chronic condition such as diabetes is challenging for many women, leaving other preventative actions, like screening for cancer, to fall by the wayside," Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, a staff physician at Women's College Hospital and an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, said in a statement. "Our study found having diabetes posed a significant barrier to breast cancer screening even after considering a woman's socioeconomic status, a known contributor to disparities in care among women."

For the study, researchers examined women between the ages of 50 and 69 with diabetes between 1999 and 2010. Researchers found that women with diabetes were 14 percent less likely to receive a mammogram during the recommended screening period compared to those without diabetes.

Researchers also found that low socioeconomic status is an additional obstacle to preventive care in an already disadvantaged population. They found this concerning because women with diabetes are at higher risk of breast cancer and of poorer survival once diagnosed.

"Given the increasing demands on family doctors today who are seeing more patients than ever before, preventive issues like cancer screening are often overlooked," Dr. Lipscombe said.  "Programs that offer incentives and reminders for cancer screening or allow for self-referral may help ensure all women are getting their mammograms when they need them most."

Researchers said ensuring equal access to care is particularly important in health care settings such as Canada, where breast cancer screening is universally subsidized by provincial health plans either via physician referrals or self-referral in Ontario through the Ontario Breast Cancer Screening Program.

The study, recently published in the journal Diabetic Medicine, is the first to examine the influence of socioeconomic status on the gap in mammogram screening among women with diabetes.

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