In a reversal of a controversial recommendation for women to start breast cancer screenings at age 50, the U.S. Preventive Services Tasks Force now advises beginning regular mammograms at age 40. The guidance to screen every two years for women at average risk for breast cancer remained the same.
The suggested screening age was 40 until 2009, when the task force aged it up by a decade, stating that earlier screening could lead to unnecessary, anxiety-provoking, invasive treatments. However, data shows that breast cancer diagnoses for women in their 40s grew by 2% per year from 2015 to 2019.
“There is clear evidence that starting screening every other year at age 40 provides sufficient benefit that we should recommend it for all women in this country to help them live longer and have a better quality of life,” said Dr. John Wong, vice chair of the task force and Tufts Medical Center primary care physicians.
The task force’s updated advisement is being criticized as not going far enough. The panel said that there’s not enough evidence to recommend extra scans, such as MRIs or ultrasounds, for women with dense breast tissue, which critics say means that insurers do not have to pay for coverage of additional screenings.
