[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E63-E64]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              BREAST DENSITY AND MAMMOGRAPHY REPORTING ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 14, 2014

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank one of my constituents, 
Laura Mason Caldwell of Eugene, Oregon, for her tireless advocacy on 
behalf of breast cancer patients. In large part thanks to Laura's work, 
we have a new law in Oregon that requires doctors to inform patients in 
writing if they have dense breast tissue. This is a small change that 
could have a major benefit. Dense breast tissue has been associated 
with increased risk of breast cancer, and routine mammograms are less 
likely to effectively detect tumors in women who have dense breast 
tissue. Had Laura been informed about these risk factors early on, she 
may have been able to catch her cancer before it spread. Oregonians now 
have that information, but women in many other states do not. For that 
reason House leadership needs to bring up the bipartisan Breast Density 
and Mammography Reporting Act, H.R. 3404, for a vote. Passing H.R. 3404 
will make sure that women across the country have access to the

[[Page E64]]

information necessary to detect breast cancer early when it is most 
treatable.

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