Dense breasts: a review of reporting legislation and available supplemental screening options.

Objective: The objectives of this article are to discuss the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) and what it means for patients, define breast density and explain how it is measured, review the new state-based legislation regarding the reporting of dense breast tissue directly to patients and the possibility of an adjunct screening examination, describe possible supplemental screening options and the advantages and disadvantages of each, and outline the current shortcomings and unanswered questions regarding new legislation.

Conclusion: Breast density is now established as an independent risk factor for developing breast cancer irrespective of other known risk factors. Women with breast density in the upper quartile have an associated four to five times greater risk of developing breast cancer relative to women with breast density in the lower quartile.

Geographic variation in posttreatment surveillance intensity for patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Background: We investigated whether geographic determinants could account for variation in posttreatment melanoma surveillance intensity among plastic surgeons.

Methods: A custom-designed questionnaire was mailed to U.S.

Evaluation of patients with clinically suspected melanoma recurrence: current practice patterns of plastic surgeons.

The optimal extent-of-disease evaluation for patients with clinically suspected melanoma recurrence is not known. The available modalities are numerous and many are expensive. We documented the extent of work-up carried out by plastic surgeons when their patients with melanoma develop clinical recurrence.