Governor Deval Patrick has signed Massachusetts’ breast density inform bill into law (Chapter 150).  Massachusetts becomes the 18th* state to enact and raises to 56% the number of American women living in states with mandatory breast density notification.

In recent years, a number of studies of have shown that dense breast tissue can compromise the effectiveness of a mammogram. Moreover, some experts believe that dense tissue is an independent risk factor for the development of breast cancer.

Several states are presently pursuing breast density notification legislation. States with legislation still active include DE, KY, MI, OH and SC. Furthermore, on the federal regulatory level, a Breast Density Reporting amendment to the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) is scheduled to be issued as a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” in 2014.  On the federal legislative front, Reps. DeLauro (CT) and Israel (NY) have introduced the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2013 (HR 3404).