Today, legislation I filed, SB 639 was passed through the Senate and now heads to the House for discussion. This bill would require mammography facilities to provide additional information to patients who are discovered to have dense breast tissue.

Under normal conditions, mammograms can spot very tiny abnormalities in the breast, but a percentage of women have tissue that is so dense, it makes the smaller spots extremely hard to detect. Certain patients with dense breast tissue may need supplemental screenings to ensure they are free from disease, such as cancer.

This bill simply provides a layer of assurance that women who fall into this category get the information they need to decide on their next level of care should they be determined to have this condition.

Had there been standards set in place earlier, my wife might have been spared the harsh chemothereapy and radiation treatments required to bring her back to health several years ago. I believe this bill may save a number of women from the same fate.

Always feel free to contact me throughout the year with any comments, questions, or issues by calling my office at (573) 751-5713 or by visiting my website at www.senate.mo.gov/brown.

Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.