Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley this week signed a breast density patient notification law, making Maryland the seventh state in the U.S. to implement such legislation.
SB 334 requires that breast centers include information about breast density when disseminating breast screening results to patients. The legislation includes specific wording about density, including the following:
"If your mammogram shows that your breast tissue is dense, you should know that dense breast tissue is a common finding and is not abnormal, with about half of women having dense or highly dense breasts," the legislation reads. "However, dense breast tissue can make it harder to find cancer on a mammogram and may also be associated with an increased risk of cancer."
In addition to Maryland, legislation has passed both legislative chambers in Tennessee and is awaiting the governor's signature. Another four bills have passed one chamber in different states, according to Nancy Cappello, PhD, president of breast density advocacy organization Are You Dense.
