Alenzi EO, et al. – Analysts planned to appraise the association between the severity of diabetes complications using diabetes complications severity index (DCSI) and stage of breast cancer (BC) at diagnosis among elderly women with pre–existing diabetes and incident BC. Lower rates of breast cancer screening among elderly women with pre–existing diabetes complications seemed to mediate the increased likelihood of having advanced–stage BC at diagnosis associated with severity of diabetes–related complications. In this way, reducing disparity in receiving breast cancer screening among elderly women with diabetes could reduce the risk of advanced–stage breast cancer diagnosis.

Methods

• Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data had been employed to identify women with incident BC during 2004–2011 and pre-existing diabetes (N = 7729).
• They used chi-square tests to examine group differences in stage of BC at diagnosis.
• In order to investigate the associations between the severity of diabetes complications and stage of BC at diagnosis, multinomial logistic regression was used.

Results

• As compared to those with no diabetes complications, women with a DCSI = 2 and a DCSI ≥ 3 were more likely to be diagnosed at advanced stages.
• The severity of diabetes complications was no longer an independent predictor of advanced stages at diagnosis, in full adjusted association (after adding BC screening to the analysis model).
• In comparison to those without diabetes complications (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.03–1.53), women with a DCSI = 2 were 26% more likely to be diagnosed at stage I (versus stage 0) of BC at diagnosis.