St. Paul, MN – With National Breast Cancer Awareness Month underway, State Representative Tom Anzelc (DFL – Balsam Township) is reminding Minnesotans about a new state law that requires mammogram results to disclose more information to patients about risk factors.
Existing federal law requires communication of mammogram results to patients and health care providers within 30 days of the examination. The new state law, authored by Rep. Anzelc and approved with near unanimous support earlier this year, requires mammogram results to inform patients if they have dense breast tissue and that it may increase their risk of breast cancer.
“Every woman should have the ability to make informed choices with their family and doctor about their health,” said Anzelc. “Dense breast tissue is an issue that may require special attention by the patient and clinical professionals. By communicating this information to women in their mammogram results, we are providing more tools for early detection and treatment. The goal here to save lives.”
Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, a breast medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, says the new law makes sure women “get the most information they possibly can” out of their mammograms. “Dense breasts are associated with a higher risk of breast cancer and also dense breast tissue is harder to see through with a mammogram, so the mammograms are less good at picking up breast cancer in women with dense breasts,” says Dr. Ruddy.
Rep. Anzelc encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions or feedback. He can be reached by phone at 651-296-4936 or toll-free at 800-336-9124, by email at rep.tom.anzelc@house.mn or by postal mail at 517 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.