Calif. governor signs breast density notification bill

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill requiring physicians to give extra warnings to women with dense breast tissue, informing the women that additional screening through ultrasound or MRI, as opposed to mammography alone, may be recommended.

The bill, SB 1538, was authored by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who said in a statement that he was “tremendously thankful for the governor's support of this measure.” Simitian also thanked the governor for his willingness to work through the issue after Brown vetoed a similar bill last year.

About 40 percent of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts, which could make cancers harder to detect with mammography. In 2009, a similar law took effect in Connecticut and the early detection of cancer has doubled in the years since then.

The legislation comes one week after the FDA approved the first automated ultrasound screening system for women with dense breast tissue.