THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY BOBACK, BROWN, CLYMER, ADOLPH, BAKER, BEAR, BROOKS, CARROLL, CAUSER, CHRISTIANA, FLECK, FRANKEL, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, HARRIS, HELM, HORNAMAN, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, MANN, MATZIE, McGEEHAN, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MOUL, MUNDY, MURPHY, OBERLANDER, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, PICKETT, QUINN, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROEBUCK, SABATINA, SAYLOR, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, STEVENSON, TRUE, VULAKOVICH, WATSON, BISHOP AND GRELL, DECEMBER 9, 2009

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DECEMBER 9, 2009  

A RESOLUTION

Memorializing the Congress of the United States in its health

care reform decisions to apply the American Cancer Society's

guidelines for breast cancer screening.

WHEREAS, The United States Preventative Services Task Force

(USPSTF) acknowledges that breast cancer is the second-leading

cause of cancer death among women in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The USPSTF further states that widespread use of

screening, along with treatment advances in recent years, has

been credited with significant reductions in breast cancer

mortality; and

WHEREAS, The USPSTF concludes that the harm resulting from

screening for breast cancer includes psychological harm,

unnecessary imaging tests and biopsies in women without cancer

and inconvenience due to false-positive screening results

outweigh the benefits of regular screening for breast cancer;

and

WHEREAS, In November 2009, the USPSTF released a report with

new recommendations for screening women for breast cancer; and

WHEREAS, The USPSTF recommends against teaching women breast

self-examination, recommends against routine screening

mammography in women 40 to 49 years of age and for women over 50

years of age, the USPSTF recommends biennial screening

mammography; and

WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society reports that the rates

of women dying from breast cancer have been declining since

1990; and

WHEREAS, The decline in death rates is due to the result of

increased awareness, earlier detection through screening and

improved treatment; and

WHEREAS, Of all breast cancers, 61% are diagnosed at a

localized stage for which the survival rate is 98%; and

WHEREAS, There are approximately 103,000 women in this

Commonwealth living with breast cancer, and three out of four

cases of breast cancer arise in women with no known risk

factors; and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition reports

that approximately 9,500 women in this Commonwealth are

diagnosed with breast cancer each year; and

WHEREAS, Women's health is essential to the health of our

families, our communities and our society; and

WHEREAS, Clinical breast examinations, regular mammograms and

breast self-examinations are the best means of detecting breast

cancer; and

WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society continues to recommend

annual screening using mammography and clinical breast

examination for all women beginning at 40 years of age; and

WHEREAS, The American College of Obstetricians and

Gynecologists recommends continued mammography screening for

patients 40 years of age and older and advises that breast self-

examination has the potential to detect palpable breast cancer;

and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition strongly

disagrees with the recommendations of the USPSTF; therefore be

it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives memorialize the

Congress of the United States in its health care reform

decisions to apply the American Cancer Society's guidelines for

breast cancer screening, which state that women 40 years of age

and older should receive yearly mammograms as an important tool

for detecting and fighting breast cancer.