Women Should Now Be Screened for Breast Cancer at Age 40, U.S. Task Force Says

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended age for regular mammograms from 50 to 40, even for women of average risk

The recommended age for screening for breast cancer has been lowered after an increase in younger diagnoses, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The task force shared its draft of the new recommendations for women on Tuesday, stating that science now shows all women — including those at average risk — should start getting screened every other year at age 40, which could result in 19 percent more lives being saved.

Mammograms are vital for early detection of breast cancer, which affects one in eight women in the United States.

"New and more inclusive science about breast cancer in people younger than 50 has enabled us to expand our prior recommendation and encourage all women to get screened every other year starting at age 40," Dr. Carol Mangione, immediate past chair of the task force, said in a statement. "This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer."

"We don't really know why there has been an increase in breast cancer among women in their 40s," Mangione told The New York Times. "But when more people in a certain age group are getting a condition, then screening of that group is going to be more impactful."

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Related: FDA to Implement New Mammogram Regulations to Support Women with Dense Breasts

The task force noted that the change is also due to the rise in Black women being diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages. Black women are also 40% more likely to die of the disease than their white counterparts.

"Ensuring Black women start screening at age 40 is an important first step, yet it is not enough to improve the health inequities we face related to breast cancer," said Dr. Wanda Nicholson, task force vice chair. "In our draft recommendation, we underscore the importance of equitable followup after screening and timely and effective treatment of breast cancer and are urgently calling for more research on how to improve the health of Black women."

The task force previously raised the recommended age for screenings from 40 to 50 back in 2009. At the time, researchers feared that early screening would lead to unnecessary treatment in younger women and negative biopsies.

According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection of breast cancer through mammograms allows patients to get a head start on treatment, and can decrease the likelihood of it spreading.

Health officials also advise women of all ages to practice "breast self-awareness," which means becoming familiar with how a person's own breasts normally look and feel, so they will be more likely to recognize anything out of the ordinary when doing a breast self-examination.

In Tuesday's draft, the task force said more research is needed on whether or not women with dense breasts should have additional screening with breast ultrasound or MRI, and on the benefits and harms of screening in women older than 75.

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