ABSTRACT
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide, and its incidence continues to increase, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).3 There is relatively higher mortality from breast cancer in LMICs compared to high-income countries (HICs), which may be due to differences in tumor biology, limited awareness about breast cancer on the part of patients or healthcare providers, and lack of access to screening, diagnostic, and treatment services.1,5-8 Without structured screening programs or easily accessible imaging and intervention, breast cancer in LMICs is more commonly diagnosed at a late stage (stage III or IV) compared to HICs.3 While early-stage breast cancer is largely curable with appropriate surgical, oncologic, and radiation therapy, late-stage breast cancer has a much higher morbidity and mortality rate.4,9 Furthermore, late-stage breast cancer requires more advanced therapies, which are difficult to come by in the low-resource setting. The Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have published comprehensive guidelines suggesting how resources should be allocated toward various aspects of breast cancer care depending on resource availability.12,13 We also adhere to a phased implementation approach to build capacity gradually without overwhelming our partners.14 Our first step of program planning, therefore, is always a thorough assessment of our target population and the local availability of screening, diagnostic services (imaging, tissue sampling, and pathology) and treatment. [...]we plan with an eye toward sustainability to ensure our interventions lead to lasting improvement. There is also evidence that ultrasound may be a useful screening tool in areas where mammography is unfeasible.17 In the United States, RAD-AID launched a longitudinal collaboration with the Black Women's Health Imperative (BWHI), National Alliance of Hispanic Health, and Hologic Inc.'s Project Health Equality to bring awareness to and address long-standing healthcare disparities that affect women of color.18 In this initiative, we collaborate with and support primary care centers that are already serving medically underserved women of color as well as tertiary centers interested in improving access to specialty care for women who need it most.
ABSTRACT
Learn Serve Lead (LSL) is the signature annual conference of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which focuses on the most pressing issues facing American medical practice and education. Unsurprisingly, the recent AAMC LSL conference at the end of 2020 centered on the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequity upon the medical community. At the LSL meeting, national leaders, practicing physicians from diverse specialties, and medical trainees discussed the impact of these challenges and ongoing strategies to overcome them. These efforts paralleled the AAMC mission areas of community collaborations, medical education, clinical care, and research. Additionally, this focus aligns with the ACR's core purpose: to serve patients and society by empowering members to advance the practice, science, and professions of radiological care. ACR is a member of the AAMC Council of Faculty and Academic Society and seeks to collaborate with other medical specialties to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, contribute to medical education, and voice the value of medical imaging for patient care. We summarize the major insights of this interdisciplinary conference and present tailored recommendations for applying these insights specifically within the radiology community. In addition, we review the parallels between the ACR and the AAMC strategic plans.