National health panel recommends mammograms start at 40
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is making major news when it comes to breast cancer prevention.
The Tuesday announcement made official a recommendation that women should start to receive mammograms at age 40 every two years, which is 10 years earlier than previous guidelines by the health panel.
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News 2 spoke with Dr. Erika Hamilton, a medical oncologist for SCRI Oncology Partners, about the change and why it’s created confusion over the years.
“I think it’s been a little confusing over the years,” said Hamilton. “This is more in line with our other organizations, the CDC and the American College of Radiology that have been recommending mammograms at age 40 and yearly, but this is a big change from the previous recommendation of 50.”
According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the recommendation was introduced due to increased breast cancer rates.
While breast cancer death rates have fallen as treatments improve, it’s still the second-most common cause of death for women in the United States.
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About 240,000 cases are diagnosed annually and nearly 43,000 women die from breast cancer, the Associated Press reported.
SCRI Oncology Partners is a cancer treatment center located in Nashville. To learn more about the mammogram recommendation, watch the entire interview above.
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