Senate panel OKs bill on breast density data in mammograms
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A Senate panel on Wednesday approved a bill that would require Iowa physicians to share information with patients about breast density data in mammogram reports, a move supporters say could help women detect cancer earlier.
The bill approved by a human resources subcommittee would require that patients be told if they have a certain density of breast tissue. The bill includes language for a potential notice to patients. It tells the patient that having dense breast tissue is common, but may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. It encourages the patient to further discuss the results with a physician.
Advocates of the proposal say such breast density can obscure early detection of breast cancer in mammograms. Bridget Pargulski, who works with advocacy group Iowa Army of Pink, said her mammograms were read as normal for years before she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She said she had breast cancer during several normal reports.
"We have a large window of opportunity to find (cancer) at stage one, when it's most easily treated and most survivable," she said.
Several medical groups say they're against mandating standards of care under Iowa law. Some say the information could also lead anxious patients to undergo unnecessary and costly additional testing.
"The concern is that providing a notification really doesn't help either identify or ... help with the diagnosis of cancer," said David Adelman, a lobbyist for the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians and the Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association.
More than 20 states have passed laws requiring women to be told if they have dense breasts after a mammogram. Meanwhile, the medical community is still sorting out how best to tackle the issue. Some argue that additional screening would increase patient costs and save few lives.
Similar legislation has failed to advance in previous legislative sessions in Iowa. The bill now goes to a full committee.