[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 190 (Tuesday, December 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H14952-H14953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, more than 190,000 women will be diagnosed 
with breast cancer in the United States this year, and more than 40,000 
will die. In the last 20 years, there have been declines in the breast 
cancer mortality rate, and those declines are attributed to increases 
in early detection and improvements in breast cancer treatment.
  Today, when breast cancer is found before it spreads, the 5-year 
relative survival rate is 98 percent, but that rate will decline to 84 
percent for regional disease and to 23 percent when cancer has 
metastasized, or has spread, to other parts of the body.
  In November, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new 
guidelines for screening mammography. These changes have again 
reignited the controversy over mammography screening--a debate that has 
remained for a number years.
  However, it is important for us to remember that the Susan G. Komen 
for the Cure organization agreed that mammograms save lives in women 40 
to 49 as well as in women over 50. Additionally, while the USPSTF has 
chosen to make revisions in its guidelines for screening, patient 
advocates and professional organizations, not just the Susan G. Komen 
for the Cure but also the American Cancer Society, the American College 
of Obstetricians and Gynecology, and the American Society of Clinical 
Oncology, have reviewed the same evidence and have continued to 
recommend annual screenings beginning at age 40 for women of average 
risk and earlier for women with known risks of breast cancer.
  Our real focus should be on the fact that one-third of the women, 
some 23

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million, who qualify for screening under today's guidelines are not 
being screened. They are not being screened due to a lack of education, 
of awareness, or access. That issue needs focus and attention. If we 
can make progress with screening in susceptible populations, we can 
make more progress in the fight against breast cancer.

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