An academic and community partnership to fight cancer.
Breast Cancer
Reducing Breast Cancer Through Prevention and Early Detection
The SF CAN Breast Cancer Team works to reduce advanced-stage breast cancer, eliminate disparities in screening and outcomes, and improve survival through prevention, early detection, and community partnerships.
Why Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women in San Francisco and is one of SF CAN's five priority cancers.
Because routine mammography can detect breast cancer earlier—when treatment is often more effective—improving access to screening is one of the most impactful ways to reduce breast cancer mortality and disparities across the city.
Meet the Team
Andreas Mitchell, MD, MPP
Breast Cancer Team Lead
General Internist and Primary Care Physician at the Richard Fine People's Clinic, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
Kara Lugtu, MPH
Program Manager Breast and Colorectal Cancer Teams
UCSF
Partners
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American Cancer Society
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Breast Cancer Connections
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Breast Cancer Emergency Fund
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Chinatown Public Health Center
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Circulo de Vida
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CPMC Sister to Sister Network
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Kaiser Permanente San Francisco
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Pilipino Senior Resource Center
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Shanti Project
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Margot Murphy Breast Cancer Program
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San Francisco Department of Public Health
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San Francisco Women’s Cancer Network
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Zero Breast Cancer
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Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
The SF CAN Breast and Colorectal Cancer Quality Improvement (QI) Stipend Program provides funding and technical support to San Francisco safety-net clinics to implement evidence-based strategies that increase breast and colorectal cancer screening rates. By supporting quality improvement initiatives, data-driven interventions, and patient outreach, the program helps reduce disparities and improve early detection for our San Francisco communities.
Breast Cancer in San Francisco
While new breast cancer cases have increased across racial and ethnic groups in San Francisco, breast cancer deaths have declined steadily for most populations over the past four decades.
These trends highlight the importance of continued investment in prevention, screening, and equitable access to care.
Breast Cancer Information and Resources
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the cells of the breast. It can occur in both men and women, although it is far more common in women.
What Is Screening?
Screening is the process of looking for cancer in people who have no symptoms. Mammography is a specialized medical imaging technique used to examine the breast tissue. It employs low-dose X-rays to create detailed images of the breasts. The primary purpose of mammography is to detect early signs of breast cancer.
Who should get Screened?
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening mammography for women aged 40 to 74 years, every 2 years.
How to get screened?
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Call your Primary Care Practitioner (PCP) to schedule screening
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If you don’t have a PCP, contact a primary care clinic or our community partners (see below).
Still not sure where to begin?
Every Woman Counts is a cancer detection program in the California Department of Public Health that provides California’s medically underserved women access to screening and diagnostic services for breast and cervical cancer.
Do you qualify for free services? You may, if you:
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Meet EWC Income Criteria
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Have no or limited insurance
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Are not getting these services through Medi-Cal or another government-sponsored program
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Live in California
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Have symptoms of at any age, regardless of gender, you may qualify for breast diagnostic services
For more information, please call (800) 511-2300 or visit the Every Women Counts website.
To access materials in other languages, please visit this website.
Quick Links
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Breast Cancer Basics from the American Cancer Society
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Guidelines for patients from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Breast Cancer Information in Multiple Languages
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Please visit the American Cancer Society website for Cancer Information in Other Languages.
Contact a community partner
Shanti’s Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Program
Offers services to mitigate the barriers women face after a cancer diagnosis.
Círculo de Vida
Círculo de Vida provides an invaluable and unparalleled services to Latinos living with cancer and their loved ones –most of them immigrants, low-income, and without health insurance– as they navigate a frightening illness and an increasingly complex medical system.
Project Open Hand
Founded in 1985, Open Hand is a nonprofit organization that provides meals with love to critically ill neighbors and seniors.
Zero Breast Cancer
Zero Breast Cancer promotes breast cancer risk reduction through translation of scientific research and evidence-based recommendations that support health and wellness at key stages of life.
San Francisco Women’s Cancer Network
The San Francisco Women’s Cancer Network is a group of organizations working toward a common goal –the preservation of vital safety-net programs, leading to the provision of a continuum of high-quality, comprehensive, compassionate care for women with cancer.