Senate Urges Clearer Guidance For Women Under 50 Who Are Considering Mammograms

February 1997

The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution calling on the federal cancer research agency to provide better information and clearer advice to women in their forties about the benefits of mammography exams in detecting breast cancer.

In one of its first actions of the new 105th Congress, the Senate Feb. 4 passed, in a vote of 98-0, a non-binding resolution urging the National Cancer Institute to consider reissuing its earlier guidelines on mammography for women between the ages of 40 and 49, which were rescinded in 1993 because the same base of scientific evidence on the benefits of mammography is not yet available for women younger than 50 as it is for women over that age. The agency’s Advisory Panel convenes this month.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, a cosponsor of the resolution, said the Senate’s act is intended to prod those who oversee cancer research to accelerate studies to evaluate the relative benefits and risks of early mammography.

"Several studies suggest that mammograms save lives for women under 50," said Leahy, "but our depth of knowledge is thin, compared to the studies on mammography for women over 50. In the meantime, health insurers take cues from the National Cancer Institute and may not reimburse women when they elect early screening. It is unfair to financially penalize women when they seek screening that can save their lives. Every woman should have the freedom to make an informed decision on mammography, knowing that her insurance plan will support her choice."