State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, will host a forum Tuesday night, Sept. 11, to discuss the risks associated with dense breast tissue and the legislature he is spearheading that would require physicians to notify patients of their breast density.
Simitian's bill, Senate Bill 1538, has already passed both houses of the Legislature and now awaits Gov. Jerry Brown's signature. Brown, who vetoed a similar bill last year, has until the end of September to sign the new bill.
To support his new legislative effort, Simitian has released a public-service announcement noting that 40 percent of the women who get mammograms have dense breast tissue, which increases their changes of getting breast cancer and makes it difficult to detect cancer through a mammogram. Simitian's bill includes a requirement that women be informed of how their breast density could impact the mammography results.
Simitian, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Breast Cancer Awareness and Detection, will discuss the issue at a Tuesday evening forum at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, 3921 Fabian Way. He will be joined by Amy Colton, a registered nurse and an advocate for the bill; Dennis McDonald, medical director of the Sutter Health Foundation's Women's Center; and Women's Health Nurse Practicioner Barb Dehn. The forum will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Comments
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 10, 2012 at 1:54 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Let's see if Joe Simitian also tells the women of his district that mammograms might not be all that healthy--
Mammograms may lead to breast cancer "overdiagnosis" for some women:
Web Link
Greendell/Walnut Grove
on Sep 10, 2012 at 4:09 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 4:09 pm
There ought to be a law that requires physicians to notify men when they have dense brain tissue.
I'm all for the government supporting women's health options ans funding real care. But,why are women and specifically our breasts being singled out for legislation that has lawyers making medical decisions for physicians?
Midtown
on Sep 10, 2012 at 4:23 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 4:23 pm
There is an irrational focus upon breast cancer-and a very dangerous obsession with potentially toxic screening and interventions.
Many, many more women die prematurely and painful from
1/ Smoking related diseases-lung,head and neck cancers-etc
2/ Obesity related diseases-diabetes, heart disease-etc
Than die from breast cancer.
Male prostate cancer is a much greater public health problem than breast cancer.
The focus upon breast cancer is a matter of fashion, money and politics
-rather than science and evidence based medicine
Enough is enough
Greater Miranda
on Sep 10, 2012 at 5:18 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 5:18 pm
All I can say is O M G!!!! An elected official now wants to mandate what MDs tell their patients? O M G!!!
C'mon, folks..wake up!
Meadow Park
on Sep 10, 2012 at 8:09 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 8:09 pm
I think what Joe Simitian is doing - is good! These women might benefit from MRI's instead of mammograms, the question is who will pay for that. From what I understand MRI's are more revealing, and no radiation.
Greenmeadow
on Sep 10, 2012 at 8:17 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 8:17 pm
As someone who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer less than 6 months after a mammogram, I applaud this legislation. Doctors sometimes are reluctant to admit that they can't tell from the mammogram whether or not cancer is present. This is a totally separate issue from that of which women should have mammograms, and how often. But if the test is done, then patients need to be told if their dense breasts make the screening virtually unreadable.
Midtown
on Sep 10, 2012 at 10:08 pm
on Sep 10, 2012 at 10:08 pm
The evidence is that such screenings do much more harm than good
“In fact, a high percentage of women who undergo screening experience false-positive test results and consequently may be subjected to unnecessary harms, such as major surgery.”
"The recommendations are just the latest in a series of challenges to cancer screenings issued by the panel, which has also rejected P.S.A. screening for prostate cancer in men and routine mammograms in women under 50.
The task force is a group of 16 experts, appointed by the government but independent, that makes recommendations about screening tests and other efforts to prevent disease.
Its advice is based on medical evidence, not cost.
The recommendations against screening for ovarian cancer were published on Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.
But the warning is not new; the panel is reaffirming its own earlier advice."
Web Link
Leland Manor/Garland Drive
on Sep 11, 2012 at 12:31 pm
on Sep 11, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Really?? There isn't anything else that our legislators can focus their time on?? Isn't this something that should come from the AMA or some other organization of medical professionals? Ugh.