News Room: SB 1538: Comprehensive Breast Tissue Screening

State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) was recently honored by a breast cancer advocacy group for championing legislation to improve breast cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue. read more ...

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a bill by Sen. Joe Simitian requiring extra warnings for the 40 percent of women over the age of 40 who have breast tissue dense enough to mask cancers on mammograms. Last year, Brown had vetoed a similar bill, expressing doubts about whether the warnings were what he termed "a path to greater knowledge or unnecessary anxiety." Since then Simitian amended the bill to make it acceptable to the governor. "I'm tremendously thankful for the governor's support of this measure and for his willingness to listen to and work with us on this issue over the past year," Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said in a statement. read more ...

Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill to improve breast cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue, Senate Bill 1538, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). read more ...

In an editorial, the San Jose Mercury News said: Gov. Jerry Brown has run out of reasons to veto Sen. Joe Simitian's bill requiring full disclosure to women with dense breast tissue that their mammograms may be ineffective. The governor bowed to pressure primarily from the California Medical Association last year and vetoed Simitian's legislation. Brown objected to language requiring doctors to notify women about potential risks and the need for further screening. As we said at the time, good grief. Physicians informing their patients of a serious risk is a problem? read more ...

A bill to improve breast cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue passed unanimously out of the State Senate and is now headed to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk. read more ...

Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo alto), Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Breast Cancer Awareness and Detection, invites the public to attend an important “Are You Dense?” forum on Tuesday, September 11th to talk about the risks associated with dense breast tissue and what women should be discussing with their doctors. read more ...

In an oped article in the Contra Costa Times, breast cancer survivor Amy Colton writes:
In 2009, at age 47, I was shocked to be diagnosed with a later stage breast cancer. I was what you would describe as a “health nut.”. . . I followed my doctor’s instructions for regular checkups and screenings, including annual mammograms, starting when I was 40. Every year I received a form letter telling me that no cancer was found.

Mammography was unable to detect my cancer in an early stage because I have a condition called “dense breast tissue.”

The shock of my diagnosis and the ordeal of treatment I endured have made me determined to give other women a better chance of being diagnosed before their cancer has spread. That is why I am so heartened by the legislative approval of a resolution authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, to declare Aug. 8 to be “Are You Dense? Day.”

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Are you dense? Ask your doctor. That’s the tagline State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will be using this week to raise awareness among Californians about dense breast tissue, a common yet little-known condition that increases the risk for developing breast cancer and makes it more difficult to detect cancer on a mammogram. Simitian is the author of Senate Joint Resolution 27 declaring August 8 “Are You Dense? Day” in California. read more ...

A bill to improve breast cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue passed unanimously out of the State Senate today. Senate Bill 1538, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), would require that following a mammogram, women with dense breast tissue be informed that they have dense breast tissue, which can obscure abnormalities (i.e. cancer) on a mammogram; and that they may wish to discuss the potential value of additional screening(s) with their doctors. read more ...

Inspired by a breast cancer survivor in his district, State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) is reintroducing legislation to improve breast cancer detection. read more ...