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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE PREVALENCE AND RISKS OF HAVING HIGH BREAST DENSITY
WHEREAS, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) in Western countries. Most people who develop breast cancer don’t have any known risk factors. Breast cancer screening tests are used to find breast cancer in people who have no warning signs or symptoms. Overall, mammography is the most effective screening test used today to find breast cancer in most women and people AFAB, since it can find cancers at an early stage, when the chances of long-term survival are highest; and
WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society recommends mammograms for screening purposes as often as every year starting at age 40 as long as a woman and person AFAB is in good health; and
WHEREAS, dense breast tissue is commonly found during regular mammograms. Dense breasts have more glandular and fibrous tissue and less fatty tissue which can make it difficult to see potential cancer on mammograms since both dense breast tissue and potential cancers appear as a white spot on a mammogram; and
WHEREAS, breast density is divided into four types, ranging from having very little dense tissue (A) to extremely dense tissue (D). About 40% of women and people AFAB have what is considered dense breast tissue (C), and about 10% fall in category D, presenting extremely dense tissue; and
WHEREAS, according to a study by the Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands, published on December 2022 to the National Library of Medicine: having extremely dense breast tissue (BI-RADS density D) resulted in a 2-fold increased breast cancer risk compared to having scattered dense breast tissue; and
WHEREAS, on March 10, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule amending the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) regulations requiring that all facilities subject to the MQSA begin including notifications of the breast density assessment classified in one of four categories in all mammogram reports starting on September 10, 2024; and
WHEREAS, according to a recent interview, Dr. Hilary Marston, the FDA’s chief medical officer, said the notifications will empower women by providing them the information that they need in plain language and communicated clearly to make good decisions for their own health; and
WHEREAS, while traditional mammography is the gold standard for breast cancer screening, women and people AFAB with dense breasts may need some additional tests to help spot cancer early, including digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), or 3D mammography, breast ultrasound or a breast MRI; and
WHEREAS, the high cost of advanced imaging puts it out of reach for many patients who may be uninsured or underinsured or may lack access to the latest technology; and
WHEREAS, according to a study by Anne Marie McCarthy, PhD, a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, Black/African-American women had a significantly higher absolute area breast density compared to
white women and when adjusting for age, BMI, and breast cancer risk factors, black women had higher breast density across all measures.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby commit to amplifying awareness of the risks associated with having higher breast density and further increasing education efforts for all residents of Cook County on the availability of screening and diagnostic testing throughout the Cook County Health and Hospitals System.
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