•HRES 48 IH
Whereas health professionals and consumers throughout the
United States regard the guidelines of the National Can-
cer Institute as reliable scientific and medical advice;
Whereas it has been proven that routine screening for breast
cancer using mammograms can save the lives of women;
Whereas the National Cancer Institute issued a guideline in
1989 recommending that women between the ages of 40
and 49 have mammograms, but rescinded this guideline
in 1993;
Whereas in 1993, it was difficult to have the same degree of
scientific confidence about the benefit of mammograms
for women between the ages of 40 and 49 as existed for
women between the ages of 50 and 69 due to inherent
limitations in the studies that had been conducted as of
that date;
Whereas in 1993, the American Cancer Society and 21 other
national medical organizations and health and consumer
groups were at variance with the decision of the National
Cancer Institute to rescind the guidelines of the Institute
recommending that women between the ages of 40 and
49 have mammograms;
Whereas the statement of scientific fact on breast cancer
screening issued by the National Cancer Institute on De-
cember 3, 1993, caused widespread confusion and con-
cern among women and physicians, eroded confidence in
mammograms, and reinforced barriers and negative atti-
tudes that keep women of all ages from having mammo-
grams;
Whereas in 1995, investigators found a 24 percent lower
death rate among women who received mammograms
•HRES 48 IH
when they were between the ages of 40 and 49 when the
world’s population-based trials were combined;
Whereas in 1996, Swedish researchers announced the results
of 2 studies which found that a 44 and 36 percent lower
death rate among women who received mammograms be-
tween the ages of 40 and 49;
Whereas a number of studies have shown that breast tumors
in women under the age of 50 may grow far more rapidly
than breast tumors in older women, suggesting that an-
nual mammograms are of value to women between the
ages of 40 and 49;
Whereas on January 23, 1997, a panel convened by the Na-
tional Institutes of Health reviewed these and other com-
pelling studies but decided not to recommend that the
National Cancer Institute reissue its earlier guidelines;
Whereas the Director of the National Cancer Institute and
other major national organizations, including the Amer-
ican Cancer Society, expressed surprise and disappoint-
ment with this decision;
Whereas approximately 80 percent of women diagnosed with
breast cancer have no identifiable risk for this disease;
Whereas breast cancer is the single leading cause of death for
women in their forties and fifties, and is a leading cause
of death for women between the ages of 30 and 60; and
Whereas more women between the ages of 40 and 49 will be
diagnosed with breast cancer this year than will women
in their fifties: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
•HRES 48 IH
(1) adequately designed and conducted studies
are needed to further determine the benefits of
screening women between the ages of 40 and 49 for
breast cancer through the use of mammograms and
other emerging technologies; and
(2) the House of Representatives strongly urges
the Advisory Panel for the National Cancer Institute
to—
(A) consider reissuing the guideline re-
scinded in 1993 recommending mammograms
for women between the ages of 40 and 49 when
it convenes in February 1997; or
(B) direct the public to consider guidelines
issued by other organizations regarding the
benefits of mammograms for women between
the ages of 40 and 49 until there is more defin-
itive data concerning this health issue.
Æ