Mandate will boost patients' breast-density awareness

An updated mandate from the Food and Drug Administration compels U.S. mammography centers to provide breast-density information to all patients.  Dr. Christoph Lee, a professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, suggested that the FDA intended to raise women's awareness of breast cancer risk, but added that the required notifications may lack the specificity that women desire.

"The rule only states that facilities have to inform women if they have dense or non-dense breasts," he said. "There are four different categories that radiologists use to describe breast density on a mammogram. And it ranges from almost entirely fatty to extremely dense. What's important to note is that half of women are categorized as having dense breasts just by the nature of these categories."

Download broadcast-ready soundbites with Lee discussing the mandate.  In a companion blog item, Lee talks about how women might consider the breast-density information they receive. 

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