DEER PARK, N.Y., March 31, 2020 – DenseBreast-info.org (DBI) commends researchers seeking to determine the effects of state dense breast notification (DBN) laws on patient awareness of the clinical implications of breast density. However, DBI cautions applying broad conclusions on the effectiveness of DBN laws. Several recently published studies have not distinguished between state laws that provide only broad general or incomplete information about breast density and those that provide screening and risk implications of a woman’s personal breast density.

“Approximately 90% of American women are covered by state density inform laws. However, the laws vary in depth and breadth of notification. More importantly, not all current notification laws actually require that a woman be provided her own breast density,” said JoAnn Pushkin, executive director, DenseBreast-info.org. "To truly understand the effect of inform laws and whether they increase understanding of breast density or the potential benefits of supplemental screening, we need an analysis of those states with laws that DO contain personal density notification and associated risks compared to states with laws that DO NOT or with states with no DBN law.”

While DBN laws are intended to raise women’s awareness about breast density, not all DBN laws provide the same information or level of notification to patients (specific state details can be found in the DenseBreast-info Legislation Table). For example:

• 6 state laws require only general information about breast density be provided to the patient without informing the patient if she, herself, has dense breasts
• 6 state laws do not provide unambiguous language about the masking effect of cancers due to dense tissue
• 23 states laws do not mention that “supplemental screening” may be a topic to discuss with a health provider. Utilization of supplemental screening often requires a recommendation from a radiologist or patient’s primary care provider, which is beyond the scope of the laws.

National breast density inform legislation, signed into law on February 15, 2019, directs the FDA to develop reporting language and ensure that mammography reports and summaries received by patients and their providers include appropriate information about breast density.

According to Pushkin, "This inconsistency in state notification languages continues to reinforce the need for a national reporting standard to assure that all U.S. women receive the same minimum threshold of information."


DenseBreast-info.org, cited as the most up-to-date and comprehensive resource on the topic, was developed to provide breast density information to both patients and health care professionals. This medically-sourced educational tool is the collaborative effort of world-renowned breast imaging experts and medical reviewers and includes a patient education video series, Let’s Talk About Dense Breasts.

DenseBreast-info.org, Inc., is a 510(c)3 non-profit supported by generous unrestricted educational grants and donations from the following organizations: GE Healthcare, Bayer Healthcare, Hologic, Inc., Siemens Healthineers, Volpara Solutions, Hitachi Healthcare, iCAD, CMR Naviscan, and Beekley Medical.

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