*UPDATE:* Monday, July 23, 2012, the governor signed legislation that would require mammography service providers to inform their patients if they have dense tissue. This is a bill that failed to pass last year. Our story on this issue (read below), features Hallie Leighton of Harlem, who was never told she had dense tissue and is now at Stage IV. After her appearance on our program, she was contacted by CBS News and the CBS Morning Show where her story was again told. This program through the first six months of 2012 has been our most watched online. Watch this program above.
Breast cancer is a topic women have become very familiar with over the years. An increase in awareness has helped thousands of women detect the disease in the early stages. One issue, though, that women may not know about their breasts is how dense they are and that could potentially lead to problems. Hallie Leighton, whom we profile this week in our feature story, was told in 2009 that the results from her annual mammogram were “normal,” but during a clinical visit a year later she learned she had the disease. Her ’09 report mentioned the density of her breasts, “which lowers the sensitivity of mammography.”
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation that would mandate the mammography report for women state in plain, non-technical language that the patient has dense breast tissue. It would also require insurance companies to cover supplemental screenings for women diagnosed with this. (See update above)
What about you? Do you know whether or not you have dense breast tissue? Let us know in our weekly poll question.
Also in this episode Congressman Paul Tonko shares what it was like to ride aboard Air Force One for the third time. What did he talk about with President Barack Obama? What do they serve on Air Force One?
We also have analysis of the latest headlines at our Reporter's Roundtable including a discussion on minimum wage, NYRA, and Governor Cuomo's push for a Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.