Nessa Cosgrove (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of dense breast tissue. Marian Lovett was an extremely talented and much loved art curator and mother. I was never lucky enough to meet Marian who raised her family along with her life partner Shane in a rural part of County Sligo. Anyone who knew or met her spoke about her personal qualities and she was a fierce advocate for social justice.Marian passed away last autumn at the age of just 61 as the result of breast cancer. She received a clear mammogram in 2022 but just a year later, was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. While there was initial hope that treatment could at least prolong Marian's time with us, it was not to be. In 2024, she suffered a dramatic and catastrophic health incident as the cancer rapidly spread and took her life within the space of a couple of days.

What Marian did not know at the time of her mammogram was that she had dense breast tissue. Neither did she know that having dense breast tissue makes the screening for potential cancers through mammograms less effective. Dense breasts have less fatty tissue and a greater level of fibrous and glandular tissue. They do not look or feel different from non-dense breasts. A self-examination or examination by a health professional will not reveal whether a woman has dense breasts. A 3D mammogram, however, will reveal it. If at the time of her mammogram Marian had been made aware of the fact she had dense breast tissue and had been informed of the potential that it made her clear test result less accurate, and made her more prone to developing breast cancer, she could have asked for an ultrasound or MRI scan to confirm the clear results.

Marian's daughter Martha has inherited her mother's sense of justice and compassion. She has channelled the very sad loss of her mother into energy to highlight the issue of dense breast tissue. It is not just about one woman. Dense breasts, although I had never heard of the condition before Martha approached me, are very common. It is estimated that between 43% and 50% of women have dense breast tissue. While the level of density can be genetic, it is also affected by factors such as age - younger women naturally have denser breasts than older women - and body weight. Regarding the latter, women with a low body mass index are likely to have dense breasts. The use of medication, such as hormone replacement therapy can also increase breast density.

What Martha is asking for, and why she has approached me, is something that is already done in every state in America, as well as across much of Australia and Canada, and by several of our EU neighbours. She is asking for information that is easily derived by the radiologist who is taking the mammogram. He or she should pass the information to women at the time of their screening. Women clearly need to know whether they have dense breast tissue. They also need to know the potential consequences of that information.

More than 7,500 people have already signed Martha's petition calling on the Minister for Health to introduce a Bill for mandatory breast density notification to ensure that all women are clearly informed after a mammogram whether they have dense or non-dense breasts. It calls for clear guidance to be provided as to what women's breast density means and the availability of any additional screening options, such as an ultrasound or MRI. It also calls for GPs to receive this information so they can properly advise patients.

I commend Martha on her work. I ask the Minister to consider drafting this legislation as a matter of priority.