More than 8 million American women between 45 and 64 are overdue for breast-cancer screening. That’s a staggering number for a disease expected to kill more than 40,000 women this year.
The consequences of finding breast cancer late can be devastating. Five years after diagnosis, women whose cancer remains confined to the breast have a relative survival rate approaching 100%. Once the disease has spread to distant parts of the body, that figure falls to 33.8%.
Early detection can save lives. Policymakers should be tearing down barriers to timely, clinically appropriate screening. Instead, government rules and insurance red tape can put needless obstacles in patients’ way.
