[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S1016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             BREAST CANCER SCREENING GUIDELINES RESOLUTION

  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, last night the Senate voted on a 
resolution proposed by the Presiding Officer, Senator Snowe of Maine, 
regarding the urgent need for breast cancer research funding. I was 
unable to be here to cast a vote for that bill because I was at home 
attending a funeral of my staff member, but I wish the Record to 
reflect that I would have voted ``aye'' on the resolution by Senator 
Snowe.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I would like to thank my friends, 
Senators Snowe and Mikulski, for offering their resolution in support 
of regular mammograms for women over 40. While I certainly respect the 
National Cancer Institute and its work, I, too, am very concerned about 
their recent conclusion that standard mammography guidelines for women 
ages 40 to 49 are unnecessary.
  At a time when there is still so much we do not know about breast 
cancer, I believe it is particularly important that we take the best 
science available and advise women based on its conclusions. More and 
more, we are learning that preventive care is the best way to catch 
breast cancer in time to save a woman's life. With that knowledge, we 
fought hard for Medicare coverage of mammography screening, and now 
President Clinton is proposing we expand that coverage.
  We all know that mammographies save not only lives, but Federal 
dollars as well. The cost of annual mammographies is far less than the 
cost of mastectomies, radiation, or other treatments. M. President, I 
believe we are headed in the right direction with these policies, and 
stepping back from encouraging annual check ups is not sending a 
consistent message to women. Instead, we should be making the same 
commitment to women between the ages of 40 and 50 as we have to those 
who are older. Evidence shows that this is the age when the risk of 
breast cancer increases for many women--and continues to climb in later 
years.
  According to the American Cancer Society, the incidence of breast 
cancer in the United States has leveled off in recent years. That is 
very good news. Even still, in my home State an estimated 3,500 women 
will learn that they have breast cancer this year. An estimated 850 
will die from this disease in the same year. And, breast cancer is the 
No. 1 cancer killer among women ages 15 to 54. Like many here, I have 
seen the devastation breast cancer leaves in its path and the children 
it has left motherless. It is heartbreaking to think that with earlier 
detection they may not have lost their lives. I think we can all agree 
that--as with any other cancer--if we believe we can prevent women from 
suffering from this disease, we must do everything in our power to do 
so.
  The American Cancer Society also tells us that in the last decade, 
the average breast lump size--the first indicator of cancer in most 
cases--has decreased substantially. In 1991, the average size of 
detected tumors was down to 2.1 centimeters--that is about the size of 
a nickel. What this tells us is that potentially malignant tumors are 
being found in earlier and earlier stages of development. Consequently, 
women have the opportunity to start treatment earlier, and have a 
higher chance of survival or avoiding drastic options like 
mastectomies. Mortality rates for Caucasian women have leveled off and 
even started dropping in recent years. Unfortunately, however, the 
statistics for women of color are not as good, but at least we know 
screening helps--now we have to make sure that these women have access 
to screening.
  I do not believe that anyone in this Chamber would deem regular 
mammographies for a woman over 40 as frivolous. On the contrary, I 
believe the Members of this body, including myself, now understand 
better than ever the importance of regular screening for many forms of 
cancer. I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to know more than the 
participants of the NCI's breast cancer screening consensus panel. 
However, I do know enough to understand the value of preventive 
screening for breast cancer. And, I also know that we have been 
fighting an uphill battle to get women--or men, for that matter--into 
their doctors' offices to have annual check ups. Therefore, I am very 
concerned about the consequence of continued confusion over 
recommendations for how often a woman should have a mammography and 
mixed signals from leading officials. I look forward to the results of 
the American Cancer Society's review of the data used by the consensus 
panel.
  In the meantime, I support Senator Snowe and Mikulski's efforts to 
send a strong, clear signal to women that until we have conclusive 
evidence to the contrary, we know there is a benefit to regular 
screening. Along with my colleagues, I encourage all women over 40 to 
follow the American Cancer Society's recommendation of mammographies 
every 1 to 2 years. Again, I thank my friends from Maine and Maryland 
for their work on this issue and their dedication to women's health.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________