Breast density notification laws can improve cancer detection

Oct 8 2010

WHAT: Breast Density Notification Laws Designed to Improve Cancer Detection

Breast cancer survivors turned advocates are working with State and Federal lawmakers to enact legislation designed to require physician to communicate important breast health information that could lead to better detection.

• Connecticut Bill Enacted - As of October 2009, the Connecticut legislature passed a Bill requiring physicians to communicate women's mammographic breast density (Bill 458);
• New York Bill Filed - Bill S8488, submitted by State Senator John Flanagan, would require mammography reports to include information about breast density; and require insurance coverage for comprehensive ultrasound screening and/or MRI in women with increased breast density;
• California; Texas (Henda's Law sponsored by Representative Allen Vaught); Florida (sponsored by Senator Jeremy Ring); and Missouri are in the process of considering Density Notification Laws.

WHY: Dense Breast Tissue Increases Cancer Risk By 4 Times

Study published in Cancer (115(24):5780-87, 12/15/2009) confirmed that breast cancer patients with dense breasts have a 4x higher risk of recurring malignancy. Bolsters previous studies, including NEJM (356:227-236, 1/18/2007), which showed:

• density masks appearance of tumors making detection difficult with mammography;
  • since both dense breast tissue and cancer appear white on a mammogram, breast imagers use the analogy of finding a specific cloud in a cloudy sky;
• approximately 35 percent of breast cancer goes undetected by mammography in women with dense breasts
• According to a study published in JAMA (299(18):2151-2163, 5/14/2008), the addition of ultrasound for the screening of breast cancer significantly improves detection rates among women who have dense breast tissue

WHO: The following breast cancer survivors and breast imaging experts are available to discuss breast density and legislation to improve breast cancer detection:

• JoAnn Pushkin, NY-based survivor/co-founder of Density Education National Survivors' Effort (DENSE)
• Nancy Cappello, CT-based survivor/founder of Are You Dense.org; co-founder, DENSE
• Rachel F. Brem, MD, professor of radiology, Breast Imaging and Interventional Center, George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, Washington DC
• Dr Brem is principal investigator of the SOMO•INSIGHT study, a national multi-center clinical study designed to evaluate whether digital mammography in combination with the somo•v Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) system is more sensitive to detecting breast lesions when compared to digital mammography alone in women with dense breasts