Women should get mammograms at age 40 rather than 50 amid rising breast cancer rates
Women should get mammograms at age 40 instead of 50 amid rising breast cancer rates, according to influential task force that says moving could cut deaths by 20%
A leading health panel has recommended that women get mammograms at age 40 instead of 50.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released draft recommendations that women ages 40-74 should get mammograms every two years.
Currently, guidelines say mammograms should be for women age 50 and older.
The proposals come because more women in their 40s are getting breast cancer.
The graph above shows new cases of breast cancer in women as a rate per 100,000 people (light green line) and the death rate (as a dark green line). It shows that the number of deaths is falling very gradually
A nurse prepares a patient for a mammogram at an x-ray machine
The number of new cases is rising about two percent each year, reported John Wong, an internist and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine who is part of the task force. the Washington Post.
The panel said that if women can be screened earlier, breast cancer can be detected earlier, which will ultimately save lives.
Dr. Wong said: “It is now clear that screening every two years from age 40 has the potential to save about 20 percent more lives among all women, and there is an even greater potential benefit for black women, who are much more likely to have to die. of breast cancer.’
Screening every two years from the age of 40 to 74 prevents 1.3 extra breast cancer deaths per 100,000 women, compared with screening from the age of 50.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in America, with more than 43,000 deaths each year from the condition.
It is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women.
According to the American Cancer Society, black women have an increased risk of developing breast cancer before age 40 than white women. They are also more likely to get a more serious type called triple-negative breast cancer.
Considered the number one method of breast cancer screening, a mammogram involves an X-ray of the breasts used to check for signs of cancer and diagnose any lumps found on a breast exam.
The task force created its guidelines after examining the benefits of early breast cancer detection versus the potential harms.
These include false positives that can take a mental toll on patients and result in unnecessary tests and procedures.
There is also the additional exposure to radiation, but it is minimal.
Most breast cancer experts supported lowering the recommended age for mammograms, but some felt the guidelines didn’t go far enough.
Dr. William Dahut, ACS chief scientific officer, said: “We welcome the return in the United States Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations to begin screening at age 40.
‘However, more attention may be needed to the frequency of screening for women under 55. Current evidence indicates that biennial screening in this population is associated with a diagnosis of more advanced disease.’
ACS breast cancer guidelines, which are evidence-based and independent of USPSTF recommendations, call for women to be given the opportunity to decide whether to start screening at age 40, but to start screening at age 45 with annual screening. to start.