Megan Shepherd-Banigan

Characteristics of women Veterans with incident breast and gynecologic cancers in the Veterans Health Administration

Background: There is an increase in breast and gynecologic cancer cases treated within Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Objectives: To describe the age and race of Veteran women diagnosed with breast and gynecologic cancers in VHA and compare with U.S. women broadly. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Methods: We obtained data from January 1, 2021 to March 12, 2024 from the Breast and Gynecologic Oncology System of Excellence (BGSoE) dashboard and for women covered in the 2021 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Results: In the Veteran cohort ( n  = 6555), the median age is 59 and 58 years for breast and gynecologic cancers, respectively. ~52% ( n  = 2586) of breast cancers are diagnosed among non-Hispanic Whites, ~30% ( n  = 1519) among non-Hispanic Blacks, and 6% ( n  = 301) among Hispanics. For gynecologic cancers, ~58% ( n  = 897) are diagnosed among non-Hispanic Whites, ~23% ( n  = 359) among non-Hispanic Blacks, and ~7% ( n  = 108) among Hispanics. Conclusions: Compared to SEER, women Veterans are diagnosed at younger ages and have similar racial composition.