Christoph Lee, MD awarded $3 million research grant from NCI

Dr. Christoph Lee, Director of NW SCORE, was awarded a 5-year, $3 million research grant from the National Cancer Institute (R01 CA266377) for his study, “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Diagnostic Work Up and Outcomes”. Dr. Janie Lee, Section Chief of Breast Imaging and Co-Director of NW SCORE,  is Co-Investigator on the award. Each year, more than 12 million women in the U.S. will be recommended for diagnostic work-up for concern of breast cancer and must navigate multiple steps including breast imaging tests, breast biopsies, and specialist consultations before diagnostic resolution. Compared to screening mammography, surprisingly little is known about how differences in breast cancer diagnostic work-up contribute to the persistently higher morbidity and mortality experienced by women of minority race/ethnicity and lower socioeconomic status. Dr. Christoph Lee and Dr. Janie Lee, in collaboration with several regional registries across the country, will conduct the largest observational study to date on breast cancer diagnostic evaluation involving 1.4 million U.S. women across 198 individual practices to identify novel diagnostic quality of care indicators that can be used to develop interventions and guidelines aimed at closing the persistent breast cancer disparities gap.