South Carolina General Assembly
123rd Session, 2019-2020

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Bill 709


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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE THAT MAMMOGRAPHY PROVIDES IN THE EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER AND TO DECLARE MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019, "MAMMOGRAM AWARENESS DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, a screening mammogram, an x-ray picture of the breast, can be used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease and usually involves two or more pictures, or images, of each breast, often making it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt; and

Whereas, screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications, tiny deposits of calcium, that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer; and

Whereas, a diagnostic mammogram can be used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found; and

Whereas, although other signs of breast cancer may be present, such signs may also be signs of benign conditions which a diagnostic mammogram could determine; and

Whereas, diagnostic mammograms can also be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram or to view breast tissue when it is difficult to obtain a screening mammogram because of special circumstances; and

Whereas, in the United States, conventional mammography stored on film has been replaced with digital mammography stored in an electronic image as a computer file, which can be enhanced, magnified, or manipulated for further evaluation more easily than information stored on film and can be shared electronically between radiologists and breast surgeons for consultations; and

Whereas, a newer three-dimensional (3-D) mammography, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), is a type of digital mammography in which x-ray machines are used to take pictures of thin "slices" of the breast from different angles, and computer software is used to reconstruct an image in a process similar to how a computed tomography (CT) scanner produces images of structures inside of the body; and

Whereas, early detection of breast cancer through screening mammography could result in the initiation of earlier treatment to fight the disease, possibly before it has spread; and

Whereas, results from some clinical trials and other studies show that screening mammography can help to reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women ages forty to seventy-four, especially for those over the age of fifty; and

Whereas, grateful for the many advances of modern medicine that help to prevent, detect, and cure many diseases, the South Carolina General Assembly encourages women across the Palmetto State to consult their physicians about their need for mammography and to be aware of the life-saving possibilities of timely screening. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize the importance that mammography provides in the early detection of breast cancer and declare Monday, October 7, 2019, "Mammogram Awareness Day" in South Carolina.

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This web page was last updated on March 26, 2019 at 2:15 PM