All women should begin breast cancer screening at the age of 40, says the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In a new recommendation, the task force advises cisgender women and all other people assigned female at birth aged 40 to 74 years get screened every other year.
“This is good news for women,” says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, with Mayo Clinic’s Breast Diagnostic Clinic and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We know that 250,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and 40,000 women die from breast cancer each year. Our goal is to detect cancer early and improve the prognosis, so we reduce deaths from breast cancer.”
She adds, “It is important to talk with your doctor about what age and frequency of mammogram screening is right for you. You may need additional imaging in conjunction with mammograms, based on your breast cancer risk.”
Mayo Clinic has long recommended breast cancer screening begin at age 40.
Early detection and regular breast cancer screenings are key to reducing death from breast cancer. Mammograms remain the best tool available and have been shown to reduce deaths from breast cancer.