Breast cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women in the United States, is an abnormal growth that forms in the cells of the breasts. After lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and, for Hispanic women, it is still the number one cause of death. An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in American women during 2009 and approximately 40,000 of those will die because of the disease. The greatest risk factor for the disease is gender but the probability of developing breast cancer increases with age, certain genetic factors, and health insurance status.

Legislators all across the country from both sides of the aisle are authoring legislation to combat the disease and bring awareness to the issue. For example, in Florida, State Representative Geri Thompson sponsored House Bill 9123 which designates October 2009 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Florida. Additionally, New York State Representative Vivian Cook sponsored House Bill 5483 which would create a Breast Cancer Registry for New York that would allow the state’s Department of Health to investigate and research the causes, mortality, prevention, early detection, and treatment of breast cancer.

Recent Events

November 2011

At Women In Government’s Second Annual Healthcare Summit, expert panelists discussed the latest breast cancer screening innovations, including breast tomosynthesis technology, and policy issues related to breast cancer screening access.

Dr. Mary Hayes is the Medical Director of Women’s Imaging at Memorial Healthcare System and the Chief of Breast Imaging at the Radiology Associates of Hollywood. She spoke about the different screenings for breast cancer using 2D and 3D, and how they are effective, and why it is best to have both tests done. Many breasts are dense, and require ultrasounds for proper diagnosis. As Dr. Hayes notes, “looking for cancer in dense breasts is like looking for a polar bear in the snow." Early screening is important for all women, not at age 50 as is usually recommended, but at 40 so as to increase survival rates. To learn more, please view her presentation here.

Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, spoke about how early screening is incredibly important for women of color. She noted that African American women are over 20 percent more likely to die within five years of diagnosis of breast cancer. Even African American women with insurance have lower survival rates. She champions this cause as President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative. To view her presentation for more information, please click here or visit her organization’s website here. To view her presentation, please click here.

July 2011
At Women In Government's Oncology Task Force, developments in diagnostics and screening for breast cancer was a featured topic. A mammogram will miss at least 40 percent of cancer in women with the densest breasts (and therefore elude early detection). Dr. Marc Inciardi and JoAnn Pushkin discussed the need for raising awareness for both patients and providers, as well as ensuring access to supplemental screening. Dr. Inciardi's presentation addressed the significant mortality rate difference between those who have early detection than those who have a later detection. Those women who have mammograms are more likely to survive a breast cancer diagnosis. To view Dr. Inciardi's full presentation, please click here. Following Dr. Inciardi's presentation on breast cancer medical developments, specifically those related to breast density screening, JoAnn Pushkin, the director of government relations at Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc. spoke about how legislators can raise awareness for breast density screening. To view her presentation, please click here, and visit Are You Dense's website here.

Sample Legislation

Florida State Representative Geri Thompson's Breast Cancer Awareness Month Resolution
New York State Representative Vivian Cook's Breast Cancer Registry Bill
Maryland State Representative Delores Kelley's bill requiring health insurers to cover inpatient hospitalization coverage for a specified length of time following a mastectomy

Additional Resources

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
National Cancer Institute
Centers for Disease Control
American Cancer Society
Passionately Pink
National Breast Cancer Foundation