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"Good afternoon. It's good to see everyone here. Thank you so much for coming today.

Joining me today are:

Dr. Janet Allan, vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center;

Dr. Peter Greenwald, the head of the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute;

Also in the audience are people representing organizations that do such tremendous work on cancer and health issues. Thank you so very much for your contributions to keeping America healthy and fighting cancer.

Today, we want to send an important message, emboldened by a new recommendation, about breast cancer and mammography.

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer affecting women, and early detection is so critical to fighting this disease.

Last year more than 200,000 American women were diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute; and 40,600 women died from the disease.

It touches almost every family either through relatives, or friends or neighbors. Seven years ago my wife, Sue Ann, went to have her yearly mammogram and was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sue Ann likes to say that, ``Information leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to power and that power leads to the ability to make informed choices and decisions for both ourselves as well as for our families.''

Well, it was information and knowledge that led her to make an informed choice to go in for a mammography screening. And it may well have saved her life.

Over the course of the past few months, and particularly in the past few weeks, there's been renewed discussion about mammography and its impact on saving lives. The Department of Health and Human Services, with its agencies, will continue to review the latest science about mammography. HHS-funded researchers are discovering innovative and promising techniques to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer. We are committed to providing women with the best information and advice on breast cancer possible.

The federal government's recommendation about mammography is clear: Women in their 40s and older should be screened every one to two years with mammography. The National Cancer Institute also advises women to consult closely with their clinicians about breast cancer and what course is best for them.

It is important for women to be fully aware of the NCI's recommendation so they can make informed choices.

Today, we have more information on mammography from an independent review of this early detection tool. In 1998, our Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reconvened the highly respected U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and asked this independent panel of experts to review the value of a broad range of clinical preventive services, including mammography.

The result of that review: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends routine mammography every one to two years for women 40 and older. This is an update from the Task Force's 1996 recommendation on mammography, which recommended routine screening for women age 50-69.

The Task Force's recommendation sends a powerful message about the value of mammography as an early detection tool that can help save lives. I will ask Janet Allan to further discuss the task force's recommendations in a moment.

Now, we certainly acknowledge that there are legitimate issues surrounding mammography. Mammography is not a perfect tool. Sometimes, for example, there can be false-positives that cause a great deal of anxiety. But mammography is an important and effective early detection tool that helps to save lives. We want women to understand this point.

We also are encouraged by the exciting promise of new developments in technology and treatments that will keep us moving forward in providing the best care possible for women with breast cancer. HHS, NIH and NCI are deeply committed to further research on better methods of early detection and treatments for breast cancer as well as evaluating new data on mammography. For example, the NCI is currently reviewing new digital mammography and its potential in the early detection of breast cancer.

Of course, new advancements and developing science will bring more debate. It will bring more reviews of our existing practices and recommendations. But we must keep these discussions in the right perspective.

The ongoing debate that comes with the progress of science and technology should not detract or distract from the existing science-based recommendation that women in their 40s and older should be screened with mammography every one to two years.

This is the NCI recommendation and it is now affirmed by an independent panel of medical experts. Please take these recommendations to heart.

So again, as my wife and the scientists in this great department often remind me, women want to be informed consumers of medical tests and practices. At the Department of Health and Human Services, we want to help them.

The best information we give women today, with the support of a new independent review, is to avail yourself of routine mammography if you're 40 or older. It's an important tool as part of a comprehensive effort to help save lives from the ravages of breast cancer.

Now, I would like to introduce Janet Allan, who is vice chairwoman of the task force. Janet holds a doctorate degree, is a registered nurse, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, as well as being dean of one of the finest schools of nursing in the country. Thank you so very much for your work Janet, and for the efforts of the Task Force.

Now I would like to introduce Dr. Peter Greenwald, the head of the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Institutes of Health. Peter and the scientists and researchers at NCI and NIH are doing a remarkable job in researching and developing the new wave of technology and treatment that will better care for women and breast cancer patients.

Now, we'd be happy to take questions."

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