Table 2.

Race, population characteristics, and breast cancer treatment delay

						Treatment Delay >30 days
	White		African American			White		African American
	N	%a	N	%a	Pb	N	%a	N	%a
Age at diagnosis (years)
20–39	39	6.7	30	7.8	<0.01	13	33.3	14	46.7
40–49	114	19.6	107	27.6		32	28.1	54	50.5
50–64	101	46.3	113	48.7		46	45.5	45	39.8
65–74	60	27.5	37	15.9		21	35.0	15	40.5
Education
0–12 years, but no high school degree	23	8.8	42	15.0	<0.01	9	46.8	12	26.4
High school graduate/GED	51	18.5	68	25.0		22	42.1	33	48.6
Technical or business school	27	10.4	32	12.1		11	43.1	13	40.7
Some college	60	20.0	65	21.4		12	23.1	30	44.2
College degree or higher	153	42.3	80	26.5		58	41.1	40	48.7
Income ($)
≤20,000	41	16.9	83	31.7	<0.01	16	38.4	34	40.2
20,000 – 30,000	17	5.7	50	19.2		8	48.4	30	61.5
30,000 – 50,000	52	19.6	46	16.8		17	35.7	21	43.4
50,000 – 100,000	94	30.4	68	24.4		34	39.8	28	38.6
>100,000	87	27.2	22	7.8		28	34.6	12	54.8
Marital status
Married	212	63.6	124	43.2	<0.01	77	40.1	58	45.4
Formerly married	82	31.3	109	39.9		29	35.2	47	42.1
Never married	20	5.2	54	16.9		6	36.7	23	41.3
Household size
1	71	27.4	80	30.1	0.046	23	35.4*	28	34.9
2	114	44.3	98	36.3		52	46.8*	50	49.8
3	43	10.8	60	18.1		16	38.6*	29	45.2
4	55	10.9	29	8.7		13	23.2*	16	53.5
>4	30	6.6	20	6.7		8	20.9*	5	29.5
Working since diagnosis
No	151	53.7	152	55.3	0.69	48	35.8	62	39.5
Yes	162	46.3	133	44.7		63	40.8	66	48.9
Lost job due to diagnosis
No	303	97.3	265	93.4	0.032	103	36.5*	118	43.1
Yes	9	2.7	20	6.6		7	87.2*	10	52.6
Current insurance
Private	238	72.3	166	57.5	<0.01	89	40.6	76	44.4
Medicare	47	20.6	41	17.1		15	33.7	15	37.1
Medicaid	12	3.0	54	17.6		5	49.0	24	43.6
None	14	4.2	24	7.8		2	15.3	12	48.9
Unable to see a doctor because of finances (in past 10 years)
No	272	87.3	203	70.9	<0.01	98	38.6	86	41.1
Yes	42	12.7	84	29.1		14	37.1	42	49.1
Unable to see a doctor because of lack of transportation (in past 10 years)
No	311	99.2	257	89.1473	<0.01	110	38.4	116	43.7
Yes	3	0.8	30	10.8527		2	42.9	12	41.3
Family history
None	170	55.0	175	61.2	0.35	62	40.2	75	41.8
First-degree	44	14.1	37	13.5		17	40.9	16	36.9
Second-degree	72	22.1	60	19.8		24	35.5	29	50.0
Both	28	8.8	15	5.4		9	30.5	8	54.0
Method of detection
Routine mammogram	154	55.6	106	41.0	<0.01	64	44.2	47	43.0
Clinical breast exam	17	5.5	16	5.2		4	28.1	7	45.0
Self-or spouse-detected	136	37.0	157	52.0		42	32.0	68	41.7
Other	6	1.9	6	1.7		2	33.3	4	70.0
Symptoms
No	214	70.5	170	60.8	0.018	85	42.2	78	43.6
Yes	100	29.5	117	39.2		27	29.3	50	43.1
AJCC disease stage
I	144	50.3	101	36.8	<0.01	52	39.5	42	39.8
IIA	83	26.3	77	26.4		34	42.9	33	39.4
IIB	41	11.9	53	17.7		17	36.5	30	55.6
III/IV	45	11.5	56	19.1		9	26.0	23	44.6
First treatment
Breast conserving surgery	158	55.2	154	55.1	0.46	51	36.1	53	33.6*
Mastectomy	102	30.7	78	27.4		42	43.1	47	58.2*
Neoadjuvant therapy	54	14.1	55	17.5		19	37.2	28	51.2*
Immediate reconstructionc
No	56	62.1	56	74.8	0.079	16	32.4*	27	46.6*
Yes	46	37.9	22	25.2		26	60.6*	20	92.5*
I am satisfied with how I am coping
Quite a bit/very much	226	71.4	197	69.9	0.66	78	36.4	88	44.2
Somewhat/ a little bit	75	23.8	78	26.4		28	41.9	35	41.8
Not at all	13	4.8	10	3.6		6	51.2	5	50.0
I have accepted my illness
Quite a bit/very much	250	80.7	221	77.8	0.26	90	37.9	103	46.2
Somewhat/ a little bit	61	18.2	57	19.3		20	39.3	21	32.7
Not at all	3	1.1	8	2.9		2	57.9	4	47.1

AJCC: American Joint Committee on Cancer

^aPercentages represent overall population estimates calculated using weighted frequency data

^bP-value from χ² test

^cPercentages were calculated based on women who underwent mastectomy as their first course of treatment

^*P value from χ2 test <0.05 for the association of the characteristic with delay