Report: West Hartford Has High Incidence of Late Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A report on breast cancer rates in Connecticut towns pinpoints West Hartford as one town where the disease is affecting lives at a higher rate than the rest of the state. The report, released this morning by the Connecticut Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, identifies 39 Connecticut towns of interest with high rates of diagnosis, late stage diagnosis or mortality.

Locally, West Hartford is included in the towns of interest because of its high incidence of late stage diagnosis, and Farmington is included because of its high mortality rate. The study indicates that Southington and Simsbury also have a higher rate of breast cancer than the rest of the state. As a whole, Connecticut is second in the nation for diagnoses but 35th in mortality.

"The purpose of the report is to tell us what is going on around the state so the purpose is not to tell us why because that is a whole other, more complicated issue," explained Carrie Tuttolo, for Komen Connecticut. "The purpose of the report is to lay a ground work of what are the problem areas and inform our grant-making priorities."

The proximity and accessibility of treatment facilities and socioeconomic climate of the towns are two factors cited as possibly having a role in the rates.

To see the full report, click here.