[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1778-E1779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE BREAST DENSITY AND MAMMOGRAPHY REPORTING ACT OF 2011
______
HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Breast
Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011, which will provide women
and their health care providers with the information they need about
identifying breast cancer risks and help to detect this deadly disease
at the earliest possible stage.
One in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in
their lifetime. This year alone, more than 230,000 Americans will be
diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will die of the
disease. We know that there are risk factors, things that increase an
individual's chance of developing for breast cancer--gender, family
history of cancer, certain genetic mutations, and numerous others.
Among them is dense breast tissue. Women with more dense breast
tissue have a relative risk of developing breast cancer that is four or
more times higher than individuals with less dense breast tissue. And
dense breast tissue may also make it more difficult to identify
potential problems on mammograms.
This bill seeks simply to update the information that women and their
health care providers receive after a mammogram. By including
information on an individual's breast density in these reports, we can
raise awareness among both patients and their physicians. We can help
ensure appropriate screening, and help make sure that more women are
diagnosed at an earlier stage of cancer.
This legislation has been endorsed by several national organizations,
whose letters of support I hereby submit for the record. And it is
based on strong legislation already enacted in my home state of
Connecticut. But women should not live or die because of geography--we
owe it to women across the country to ensure that they have access to
the information they need to make informed decisions about their
health. This legislation will help the women in our lives and their
health care professionals access critical, potentially life-saving
information, and I urge my colleagues to support our efforts.
October 3, 2011.
Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro,
House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative DeLauro: On behalf of the Board of
Directors of Are You Dense, Inc., we are pleased to support
the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011. The
grassroots breast density information effort began in
Connecticut in 2004 when I was diagnosed with an advanced
stage breast cancer after a decade of ``normal'' mammograms.
When I questioned my breast surgeon why my cancer was
detected at such an advanced stage, since I received a
``normal'' mammography report a few months earlier, her
response was that I have dense breast tissue. This was the
first time that I was informed about this critically
important aspect of my breast health and what dense breast
tissue meant to me for access to an Early Cancer Diagnosis. I
began working with Connecticut State Senators Joan Hartley
and Joseph Crisco and, with their unwavering support for
Early Detection for women with dense breast tissue,
Connecticut established itself as a leader in state
legislation for breast density notification and expanded
insurance coverage for women with dense breast tissue. I am
so proud that you are leading the federal efforts to change
the outcome of an advanced cancer to an early stage cancer
for women across the country with dense breast tissue.
Research for more than a decade demonstrates that women
with dense breast tissue' are at increased risk of breast
cancer and have only a 40% chance of having their cancer
detected by mammography alone. As density increases, the
sensitivity of mammogram to ``see'' cancer decreases. Breast
density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of
mammography screening to detect cancer.
A Harris Poll found that less than 1 in ten women team
about their breast density from their health care providers
and ninety-five percent of women do not know their breast
density even though it is one of the highest risk factors for
breast cancer. The Breast Density and Mammography Reporting
Act of 2011 will correct this fatal flaw in the Early
Detection of Breast Cancer by standardizing the communication
of breast density to the patient across our country. Breast
Density notification will help bring about a new era in which
women, in conjunction with their doctors, can make fully
informed choices about their breast screening and personal
surveillance.
Thank you for giving Are You Dense, Inc. the opportunity to
support this important and timely legislation.
Sincerely,
Nancy M. Cappello, Ph.D.,
President and Founder,
Are You Dense, Inc.
____
October 3, 2011.
Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro,
House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative DeLauro, the Black Women's Health
Imperative is very pleased to support the introduction of the
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011.
Women with dense breast tissue are more likely to get
breast cancer, it is more likely to be aggressive, and very
likely to be missed on a mammogram. The Breast Density and
Mammography Reporting Act of 2011 corrects a fatal flaw in
the post-mammography patient communication. The inclusion of
breast density information in the lay letter, sent from
radiologist to patient, recognizes the importance of patient
notification of this risk factor. Without the provision for
this notification, the opportunity for an informed and
educated patient is tragically compromised. This legislation
will ensure that the 40% of women with dense breasts, armed
with critical information about their own physiology, can
have equal access to early detection of breast cancer.
Breast Density notification will help bring about a new era
in which women, in conjunction with their doctors, can make
fully informed choices about breast screening and
surveillance.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to support this
important and timely legislation.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Hinton Hoytt,
President & CEO,
Black Women's Health Imperative.
____
October 3, 2011.
Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro,
House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative DeLauro, Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc.
is pleased to support the introduction of the Breast Density
and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011. It is in the interest
of public safety to enact a standard that requires doctors to
inform women of their breast density, its inherent risk
factor, and apprise them of the limitations of mammography in
dense breasts. Without this simple notification, women with
dense breast tissue, unaware of this critical piece of their
own physiology, and kept in the dark about density's inherent
risk factor, can hardly be considered informed participants
in their own health surveillance.
Women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast
cancer, it is more likely to be aggressive, and is more
likely to be missed on a mammogram. Over the past decade,
peer reviewed scientific studies have demonstrated that
mammography misses breast cancer at least 40% of the time in
women with dense breasts. The inclusion of breast density
information In the lay letter, sent from radiologist to
patient, recognizes the fundamental right of a patient to be
aware of her own density, her personal risk factor, and
supplemental screening tools which may be appropriate.
We strongly support this timely legislation which will
prove life saving for so many American women.
Sincerely,
JoAnn Pushkin,
Director of Government Relations,
Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc.
____
American Association of
Breast Care Professionals,
Houston, TX.
Dear Congress: The American Association of Breast Care
Professionals (AABCP) in collaboration with the AABCP
Foundation, strongly supports all legislation regarding
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research, education and early diagnosis of breast cancer for
individuals with dense breast tissue. We ask all
congressional leaders for consideration and co-sponsorship of
this legislation.
AABCP is a non-profit trade association and foundation
dedicated to educating the public and promoting public policy
that is in the interest of the breast cancer patient, the
post-mastectomy amputee, and the providers who serve them.
Currently, more than 2,500,000 individuals in the United
States are living with breast cancer. Each year, more than
200,000 people, 97% women and 3% men, are diagnosed with
breast cancer. Additionally, women with more dense breast
tissue have at least a four-time greater risk of developing
breast cancer than individuals with less dense tissue.
Physicians and health care providers are the first line of
information during diagnosis and treatment. The provision of
more scientific and appropriate information regarding the
risks of dense breast tissue to individuals, immediately
after a mammogram, ensures receipt of timely information and
allows an individual to make a more informed decision
regarding their health care.
The American Association of Breast Care Professionals
believes that women will benefit from knowing both that they
have denser breast tissue and the associated risks. When
dealing with cancer, knowledge is survival.
We thank you again for your leadership and consideration of
this very important issue.
Respectfully,
Rhonda F. Turner, PhD, JD, BOCPO,
President.
____________________