William C. Baker: “statistics can be boring, eye- glazing, and mind-numbing. Yet they can also be illuminating, disturbing, and striking.…”

“statistics can be boring, eye- glazing, and mind-numbing. Yet they can also be illuminating, disturbing, and striking. When it comes to statistics concerning breast cancer, the latter category is clearly in play. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. In 1996 approximately 184,300 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer; 44,300 women are expected to die of this disease by the end of the year. This is troubling news, and forces us to consider how best to combat this destructive illness. At present, breast cancer cannot be prevented. However, there are steps women can take in order to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages. The easiest, most common technique is a breast self-exam [BSE], which can make the difference between life and death. I have supported legislation to encourage breast cancer screening through making exams easily available to poor women through Medicaid, and by giving employers a tax break for costs incurred in making breast exams available to their employees. Noninvasive breast self-exams are essential to the thousands of women seeking to combat this deadly cancer. Currently, the only technique readily available for women to perform this procedure at home is soap and water. Yet American ingenuity has once again risen to the occasion and created a new device to aid women with BSE's. This device is called the sensor pad. It consists of two plastic sheets coated with lubricant.…”