[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 158 (Monday, November 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12483-S12484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           MAMMOGRAPHY QUALITY STANDARDS REAUTHORIZATION ACT

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I am very pleased that the Senate 
yesterday passed S. 537, the 5-year reauthorization of the Mammography 
Quality Standards Act. The original statute, now 5 years old, passed in 
1992 with broad bipartisan support. Through the tireless efforts of 
Senator Barbara Mikulski, the lead sponsor of the Mammography Quality 
Standards Reauthorization Act, we will be able to continue this 
critical program for women's health.
  Prior to the passage of this legislation, breast tumors in women were 
often missed because of defective x ray equipment or inadequately 
trained personnel. Today, to operate lawfully, a mammography facility 
must be certified as providing quality mammography services. That means 
that a national uniform quality standard for

[[Page S12484]]

mammography has been established. It requires that facilities use only 
properly trained personnel, establishes a control program to ensure the 
reliability, clarity, and accurate interpretation of the mammogram, and 
now each facility undergoes an annual inspection.
  Breast cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths 
among American women. One woman in eight will develop breast cancer 
during her lifetime, and, during the nineties, it is estimated that 
500,000 women will die from the disease. If breast cancer is detected 
early, however, the probability that a woman can survive is greater 
than 90 percent.
  Currently, the most effective technique for early detection of breast 
cancer is mammography, an x ray procedure that can often locate small 
tumors and abnormalities up to 2 years before they can be detected by 
physical examination. However, mammography is one of the most 
technically challenging x ray procedures, and ensuring the quality of 
mammography services is difficult. To address concerns about variations 
in the quality of mammography service provided by the more than 10,000 
facilities throughout the United States and its territories, the 
Congress passed the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992.
  This reauthorization continues an important program that gives the 
women of America and their families an assurance that the quality of 
services for this vital test has improved, and will, hopefully, 
encourage even greater numbers to take advantage of this life saving 
diagnostic tool.

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