The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new recommendations for all women to start getting mammograms every other year beginning at age 40 and continuing through age 74. Previously the task force had recommended women to start screening at age 50, and women between the ages of 40 and 50 could choose to have breast cancer screening based on their risk factors and health history.
“More women in their 40s have been getting breast cancer, with rates increasing about two per cent each year, so this recommendation will make a big difference for people,” the Task Force chair said. “By starting to screen all women at age 40, we can save nearly 20 per cent more lives from breast cancer overall.”
Screening for breast cancer can help with early diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. This guideline, however, does not apply to women who have a BRCA gene variant, a history of chest radiation, or a personal history of breast cancer. These women should talk to their health care provider.
But the USPSTF still differs from other medical organisations like the American College of Radiology that recommends mammograms every year starting at age 40. According to it one in six breast cancers are diagnosed in women in their 40s. About 75 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. And according to one study mammography screening can reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by nearly half.
