Recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month
By: U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis

A critical component of the fight against breast cancer is educating the public. The public needs to know the importance of detecting the disease in its earliest stages through screening mammography, clinical breast examination, and for women twenty years of age and older, breast self-examination. It is easy to forget the things we take for granted, which is why raising public awareness of this disease is extremely important.

Over forty-thousand women die each year as a result of breast cancer. This year alone, more than two-hundred thousand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Currently, there are over two million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer. This horrible disease must be addressed and must be made a national priority. Every year, breast cancer ranks as one of the most common forms of death for women.

The causes of breast cancer are not known, but we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease. Risk factors are considered anything that increases a person's chance of getting breast cancer. While all women are at risk for breast cancer, the following list of factors can increase the chances of getting the disease: having a family history of cancer, age, race, diet, hormone replacement therapy, and not having children. However, having a risk factor doesn't necessarily mean that a person will get the disease.

I have a duty and a responsibility, as a U.S Congressman, to champion and lend my voice for the war against breast cancer. Moreover, I feel it is my job as a family man with three daughters of my own. I have recently co-sponsored legislation, H.R. 1886, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which requires insurance companies to cover a forty-eight hour minimum hospital stay for mastectomy patients and twenty-four hours for a woman undergoing a lymph node dissection. This legislation does not mandate a specific length of stay after surgery. It simply ensures the decision in favor of a shorter or longer stay will be made by the woman and her doctor. Additionally, I have signed on to a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense asking for an increase in funding for the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). Since the program's inception, there have been incredible discoveries that have offered fascinating insights into the biology of breast cancer. From new methods of extracting breast cancer cells at their earliest stages to unprecedented research into gene/environment interaction to quality of life issues, this program has been integral in generating new approaches to breast cancer prevention, treatment, and early detection.

We must continue to be aggressive in our battle against cancer. It starts with you and me. I need your help in making sure women are aware of the need for yearly mammograms and check-ups. I will continue to use my office as a sounding board for this important issue and will continue to keep you updated on the progress of breast cancer research. For more information on breast cancer, go to: http://www.cancer.org.

Congressman Davis can be reached by phone in Washington, D.C. at (202) 225-6831.