[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 74 (Friday, June 7, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE MAMMOGRAPHY QUALITY STANDARDS (MQSA) 
                      REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2002

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2002

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Mammography 
Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2002. This is a companion 
measure with my esteemed colleague, Senator Mikulski, who introduced an 
identical bill in the Senate yesterday. In 1992, Senator Mikulski and I 
introduced the original Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). The 
primary objective of this law is to ensure that mammography is safe and 
reliable and that breast cancer is detected in its earliest, most 
treatable stages. The act was reauthorized in 1998 and now it is time 
for us to reauthorize it again.
  We have a breast cancer epidemic in this country. An estimated 
203,500 new invasive cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among 
women in the United States this year alone. Every 3 minutes a woman is 
diagnosed with breast cancer, and every 13 minutes a woman dies from 
this disease. This year in my home State of Michigan, about 6,500 women 
will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and the disease will kill 1,600.
  Breast cancer is a progressive and systemic disease, in which our 
ability to treat and cure a small tumor is much greater than our 
ability to treat and cure a large tumor. For this reason, it is vital 
that we ensure the safety, accuracy, and accessibility of mammograms 
for all women. Our top health institutions, including the Department of 
Health and Human Services, the National Cancer Institute, and the 
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, recommend screening 
mammography every one to two years for women ages 40 and over.
  MQSA is a federal law that establishes a number of requirements aimed 
at strengthening and ensuring high quality standards for all 
mammography facilities. The MQSA program requires all mammography 
facilities in the United States to meet stringent quality standards, be 
accredited by a Food and Drug Administration-approved accreditation 
body, and be inspected annually. The 2002 reauthorization legislation 
continues all existing requirements.
  It is simply not enough to have mammography screening facilities; we 
must demand and ensure that these facilities are responsible, reliable, 
and precise. MQSA requires that the FDA establish quality standards for 
mammography equipment, personnel, and practices. These standards apply 
to the following people at the facility: the technologist who takes the 
mammogram, the radiologist who studies the mammogram, and the medical 
physicist who tests the mammography equipment. All of these people must 
have special training and education, and must meet continuing education 
and experience requirements.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this important and beneficial 
bill which will help to ensure that women receive improved, accurate, 
and complete information with regard to their mammography screening. 
High quality mammography, while not a perfect tool, is currently the 
best available tool for the early detection of breast cancer and MQSA 
provides our best assurance of that quality.

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