Committee Advances Gordon’s Women’s Health Bill

March 13, 2008, WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon’s legislation to improve analysis of tests for cervical cancer is advancing through Congress with approval today from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Gordon’s bill, now cleared for consideration by the full House of Representatives, would ensure that health care professionals who read tests for cervical cancer are skilled in today’s medical technology.

“Medical technology has made enormous strides in the past 15 years, but the regulations for reading tests for cervical cancer have remained stagnant,” said Gordon. “More than 10,000 American women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. We owe it to them to make sure these tests are read correctly.”

Gordon’s Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act, H.R. 1237, would modernize the cytology testing program by requiring continuing medical education for pathologists and other laboratory professionals to assess their diagnostic skills and ensure they keep up with the latest practices. The program would be modeled after a similar quality standards program for reading mammograms. Results of the continuing medical evaluation program would be available to lab directors and inspectors.

Currently, pathologists are required to take a test to show proficiency in reading gynecological cytology tests, such as Pap tests; however, the current proficiency testing program was based on regulations drafted in 1992. It does not take into account technological advancements, such as digital imaging and computer-assisted screening.

The American Cancer Society predicted 11,150 women in the United States would be diagnosed with cervical cancer last year, and about 3,670 women would die from the disease in 2007.

Gordon’s bill has been endorsed by the College of American Pathologists, the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Nurse-Midwifes.