By Jeff Lipton
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the governor, joined by other state and local officials, signed into law legislation that will strengthen the state's efforts to raise awareness among women of the critical need for clinical breast exams, as part of a comprehensive screening regimen, increasing the chances of detecting the disease at its earliest stages.
Officials said that mammography alone is not good enough to catch the disease in its early stages, and that a clinical breast exam increases the chances of survival.
The new law amends New York's Public Health Law to require mammography providers to determine from their patients prior to conducting mammographies whether they have undergone clinical breast exams. If a recent exam has not been done, the information must be conveyed to the patient's regular health care provider.
Pataki said that one in eight women face breast cancer, but due to recent research and treatment, 95 percent of the victims have survived after five years when it is caught before it has a chance to metastasize.
However, the key is that these numbers depend on early detection, Pataki said before signing the legislation. That is why today I am signing legislation that will require a health provider, when a mammography is given, to ask women whether or not a clinical breast exam has been conducted recently, and if not, then her health care provider must be notified that a clinical breast exam should be performed.
The law was signed at Hewlett House, 86 East Rockaway Road in Hewlett, across from Hewlett High School, because it has become a symbol of the state's fight against breast cancer. Geri Barish, executive director of Hewlett House and president of 1 in 9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition, has traveled to Albany many times to fight for funding for research. Hewlett House, which officially opened in January 2002 after years of delays mostly due to budget problems, is the only comprehensive breast cancer resource center of its kind in the country, and has assisted 2,923 people with information or referrals since January 2003.
I don't have to tell you how important it is for people undergoing treatment to know they have a place to go, Pataki said. It's an example of what a caring community and great leadership can do.
Barish said she was thrilled that the governor chose Hewlett House for the signing of a crucial piece of legislation that should go a long way to improving the early detection of breast cancer. The bill arrived by FedEx right on cue during the ceremony.
This is fantastic for us and the community, Barish said. A clinical breast exam can save a life.
Pataki said he is aware of the importance of early detection, since his wife's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She's doing very well now because it was detected early, the governor said. When it's detected early, the survival rates are very, very high. But you need awareness, the mammography and the clinical breast examinations, and that is what this legislation will enhance.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women in New York State, with more than 12,000 women diagnosed with the disease each year and more than 3,400 dying from it annually. The majority of breast cancer deaths are among women over 50.
Assemblymen Robert Sweeney (D-Suffolk) and Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) were the sponsors of the bill in the Assembly, and state Senators Owen Johnson and Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) sponsored the bill in the Senate.
Everyone is in agreement that early detection is crucial for a better survival rate, Weisenberg said.
Skelos added, While we are still working toward a cure, early detection remains the best weapon in our battle against breast cancer. This new law will guarantee that women receive the most effective, comprehensive care available and ensure that income and insurance coverage have no bearing on access to vital preventative services.
The suggestion for the new law was first made by Debbie Basile of the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, who pointed out that prior to being given mammographies, not all womens are given clinical breast exams. The exam is important in detecting cancer, because 10 to 25 percent of palpable breast cancers are not visible with mammography, according to officials. Just over 20 percent of breast cancers turn up in women under age 50, yet an initial screening mammography is not recommended for women before they reach age 40.
During the ceremony, Barish asked Pataki for research dollars to study the increasing rate of breast cancer among men.
