1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web98-809 STMUpdated October 22, 1998Mammography Quality Standards Act:Background and IssuesJudith A. JohnsonSpecialist in Biomedical PolicyScience, Technology and Medicine DivisionSummaryMammograph
2、y uses X-rays to produce an image of the internal structure of thebreast. There is a long history of public and professional concern over the safety andquality of mammography. Between 1985 and 1992, several studies found a wide rangein image quality and patient radiation dose. National, comprehensiv
3、e quality standardsthat applied to all mammography facilities were nonexistent until the MammographyQuality Standards Act (MQSA) was enacted on October 27, 1992 (P.L. 102-539).MQSA replaced the conflicting and overlapping patchwork of private voluntarystandards and limited state and federal regulati
4、ons. H.R. 4382, which reauthorizedMQSA, was passed in September 1998 by the 105th Congress and signed into law by thePresident on October 9, 1998 (P.L. 105-248). This report will be updated periodically.BackgroundFor American women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and thesecond l
