Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution designating October 19, 2007, as ``National Mammography Day.'' This is the 15th straight year I have introduced such legislation, and I am proud to…
Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution designating October 19, 2007, as ``National Mammography Day.'' This is the 15th
straight year I have introduced such legislation, and I am proud to say that on each occasion the Senate has shown its support for the fight against breast cancer by approving the resolution.
Each year, as I prepare to introduce this resolution, I review the latest information from the American Cancer Society about breast cancer. For the year 2007, it is estimated that nearly 178,480 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 40,460 women will die of this disease.
The first several times I introduced this resolution, I commented on how gloomy the statistics surrounding breast cancer were. While too many of our loved ones still die from breast cancer each year, there are some numbers these days that give us hope in our persistent struggle to defeat this disease. As I mentioned last year, the trend over time is that the number of deaths from breast cancer is actually stable or falling from year to year. According to the American Cancer Society, the death rate from breast cancer in women has decreased since 1990: between 1975-1990, the death rate increased by 0.4 percent; between 1990-2004, the death rate decreased by 2.2 percent annually.
This decline in the breast cancer mortality rate has been attributed to both improvements in breast cancer treatment as well as early detection from mammograms and other screening methods. New digital techniques make the process of mammography much more rapid and precise than before. In addition, early detection of breast cancer continues to result in extremely favorable outcomes: 98 percent of women with localized breast cancer will survive 5 years or longer. Government programs will provide free mammograms to those who can't afford them, as well as Medicaid eligibility for treatment if breast cancer is diagnosed. Information about treatment of breast cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy has exploded, reflecting enormous research advances in this disease. With all of these advances in research, screening and treatment, a diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence--all of us encounter long-term survivors of breast cancer almost daily, whether we realize it or not.
Recently, there has been discussion among scientists regarding the best and most appropriate screening tool for breast cancer--traditional mammography or more advanced technology like magnetic resonance imaging, MRI. In addition, newspapers have been filled with discussions over whether the scientific evidence actually supports the conclusion that periodic screening mammography saves lives. For those of us who are neither physicians nor scientists in this highly technical area, we look to the experts. The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force all continue to recommend periodic screening mammography.
As for mammography versus MRI's, in 2007 an expert panel convened by the American Cancer Society released new recommendations for the use of MRI for women at increased risk for breast cancer. Essentially, the Society recommended annual screening using MRI in addition to mammography for women at high lifetime risk, 20 to 25 percent or greater of developing breast cancer. Women with moderately increased risk of developing the disease, 15 to 20 percent lifetime risk, should discuss the option of adding an MRI to their annual mammogram with their physician. Women that do not fall into the high-risk or moderate- risk categories for developing breast cancer have no need to supplement their mammogram with an MRI.
I know that some women don't have annual mammograms because of either fear or forgetfulness. It is only human nature for some women to avoid mammograms because they are afraid of what the test will reveal. To those who are fearful, I would say that if you have periodic routine mammograms, and the latest one comes out positive, even before you have any symptoms or have found a lump on self-examination, you have reason to be optimistic, not pessimistic. Such early-detected breast cancers are highly treatable.
Then there is forgetfulness. I certainly understand how difficult it is to remember to do something that only comes around once each year. I would suggest that this is where National Mammography Day comes in. On that day, let's make sure that each woman we know picks a specific date on which to get a mammogram each year, a date that she won't forget: a child's birthday, an anniversary, perhaps even the day her taxes are due. On National Mammography Day, let's ask our loved ones: pick one of these dates, fix it in your mind along with a picture of your child, your wedding, or another symbol of that date, and promise yourself to get a mammogram on that date every year. Once you pick a date, call your health care provider and make an appointment. If you have access to the internet, go the American Cancer Society's website and sign up for the mammogram reminder service--they'll send you an e-mail to remind you about the date you picked. Do it for yourself and for the others that love you and want you to be part of their lives for as long as possible.
And to those women who are reluctant to have a mammogram, once again I say let National Mammography Day serve as a reminder to discuss this question each year with your physician. New scientific studies that are published and new mammography techniques that are developed may affect your decision on this matter from one year to the next. I encourage you to keep an open mind and not to feel that a decision at one point in time commits you irrevocably to a particular course of action for the indefinite future.
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in the ongoing fight against breast cancer by cosponsoring and voting for this resolution to designate October 19, 2007, as ``National Mammography Day''.
