Enhanced Breast Cancer Prevention Legislation Passes NY Senate

The New York State Senate passed legislation today to provide women with dense breast easy to understand, non-technical information to help them make decisions regarding their health care.

The legislation, sponsored by Senator John Flanagan (R–Smithtown), would require every mammography report given to a patient with dense breast tissue inform the women in "plain, non-technical language" regarding the tissue.

The legislation goes on to require medical doctors to suggest they discuss the potential benefit of further screenings with her physician.

The legislation is currently being supported in the Assembly by Representative Ellen Jaffee (D–Rockland County), and is expected to pass there.

"The impact of breast density on the healthcare decisions of women throughout our state is undeniable but the necessary information they need remains hidden from many," said Senator Flanagan in a New York State Senate release.

"The passage and enactment of this legislation will raise awareness of the impact that breast density can have on diagnosing breast cancer, give women a greater ability to make educated decisions about their own health and, simply put, save lives."

Tess Helfman, president of the , said this legislation will help women make better decisions regarding their breast cancer screenings.

"Women with dense breasts are at greater risk because a typical mammogram shows both cancer and dense breasts in the same light," she said. "A woman knowing that she would be at particular risk going in to a screening allows her and her doctor to know if she should go for further screening."

She added: "It could be a double-edged sword since there might be false positive and tests that are not necessary," but said it would be better to be safe than sorry.

According to leading medical studies, breast cancer is four to six times more likely in women with dense breast tissue, and mammograms fail to detect approximately 40 to 50 percent of tumors in dense tissue since this condition obscures their presence.

According to the New York Senate release, a recent Harris Interactive survey found that 95 percent of women do not know their breast density even though it's a risk factor, and less than one-in-10 women learn about breast density from their physician.

Connecticut, Texas and Virginia are the only states in the United States with Breast Density Inform laws. The United States House of Representatives and 13 other states have introduced legislation that would establish similar laws.