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A bill was introduced last Thursday that aims to standardize a requirement to notify patients if they have dense breast tissue. To date, 19 states have enacted breast density notification laws but there is no federal standard that requires that women are informed.
Senators Dianne Feinstein of California and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire came together to create the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act and introduced it in the Senate. Representatives Rose DeLauro of Connecticut and Steve Israel of New York introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives in October 2013.
The bill sets the minimum federal standard, which was assigned by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), for notifying women that they have dense breasts and recommending that they discuss additional screening options, when necessary, with their physicians.
The bill also calls for HHS to boost research in order to improve screening options for women with dense breast tissue.
"By requiring that patients be informed if they have dense tissue, this bill allows women to make potentially lifesaving choices about their care," Feinstein said in a statement.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Breast Cancer Fund, Susan G. Komen, and Are you Dense Advocacy support the bill.
"We are so pleased that federal legislation to report a woman's breast tissue composition will assist in conversations with health care providers about a woman's personal screening surveillance," Dr. Nancy Cappello, founder and director of Are You Dense Advocacy, said in a statement.
