Breast density bill passes in Calif.

California's state Legislature has passed a bill that requires women with dense breast tissue to be informed of their status, according to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration.

Senate Bill 791 (formerly SB 173) requires that women with dense breast tissue be notified of that fact following a mammogram, as well as to the fact that dense breast tissue can hide abnormalities on a mammogram. These women may wish to discuss additional screening with their doctors.

Under the bill, radiologists must include the following two additional sentences in the federally required letter sent to patients after a mammogram:

Because your mammogram demonstrates that you have dense breast tissue, which could hide small abnormalities, you might benefit from supplementary screening tests, depending on your individual risk factors. A report of your mammography results, which contains information about your breast density, has been sent to your physician's office and you should contact your physician if you have any questions or concerns about this notice.

The bill not only gives patients information they need to make informed decisions about their health, it's also cost-effective, Simitian said in a statement.

"Senate Bill 791 will also save money because treating cancer in its early stages is far less expensive than battling advanced cancer," he said.

The bill was suggested to Simitian by Amy Colton of Soquel, CA, who submitted the idea to the senator's "There Oughta Be a Law" contest. Colton was never informed of her breast density during years of routine mammograms; she discovered that she had dense breast tissue only after completing treatment for breast cancer, which her mammograms had failed to detect over several years.

Similar legislation has already passed in Connecticut and Texas. Congress and the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Florida all have related legislation pending, Simitian said.