I am working with a bipartisan group of Senators to end the medical practice of drive-through mastectomies.  The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act (S.688), will help to ensure that breast cancer patients have access to appropriate care by allowing a woman and her doctor to decide whether she should recuperate from a mastectomy or lumpectomy in the hospital for up to 48 hours or whether she has enough support to get quality care at home.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2008 an estimated 182,460 women were newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.  Most patients who are diagnosed will undergo some type of surgical treatment involving either a lumpectomy or mastectomy.  The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act creates a set of crucial measures to ensure appropriate treatment and reasonable in-patient care for women who undergo invasive treatment for breast cancer.

The legislation is supported by several health advocacy organizations, including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the American Cancer Society.  You can count on me to work for its passage.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator