For Chicago minority women, breast cancer is often a death sentence, since they are less likely to get an early diagnosis and benefit from advances in treatment, according to report from the Sinai's Urban Health Institute.

Physicians there hope to boost early diagnosis with digital mammography because they can screen mroe people with a grant from the Avon Foundation. The $1 million grant also covers the cost of bringign digital mammography technology to the Sinai system.

Digital mammography is not only faster, but provides a clearer, more accurate image of breast tissue compared to mammograms taken on film. Digital mammography is better able to read denser breast tissue, which is especially common in younger women and in African-American women of varying ages, said Mary Rinder, director of Women's Health, Urology and Radiation Therapy. With this new technology, Sinai physicians are better equipped to not only screen more patients, but also to identify possible tumors with more ease.