USPSTF Reverses Course, Recommends Regular Mammograms Starting At Age 40
The New York Times (4/30, Rabin) reports, “Citing rising breast cancer rates in young women,” the US Preventive Services Task Force on Tuesday “recommended starting regular mammography screening at age 40, reversing longstanding and controversial guidance that most women wait until 50.” The panel “finalized a draft recommendation made public last year. The group issues influential advice on preventive health, and its recommendations usually are widely adopted in the United States.” Some 15 years ago, “the task force raised the age for starting routine mammograms to 50 from 40, sparking wide controversy.” Now, however, “breast cancer rates among women in their 40s are on the rise, increasing by 2% a year between 2015 and 2019.”
The AP (4/30, Johnson ) reports the recommendations “were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.” The AP adds that other medical groups “suggest mammograms every year – instead of every other year – starting at age 40 or 45, which may cause confusion.”
According to USA Today (4/30, Alltucker), “The task force said medical evidence drawn from studies suggests every-other-year screening of breast tissue provides a ‘moderate net benefit’ for women up to age 74.” The experts “said there isn’t enough evidence to recommend routine screening for women 75 and older.” They “also did not endorse supplemental screening methods such as ultrasounds or MRIs for women with dense breast tissue. [Physicians] should use their judgment about ordering screening for those populations, the task force said.”
Reuters (4/30, Niasse) reports, “By lowering the age to start biennial screening to 40, the USPSTF is acknowledging evidence that more women under the age of 50 are now getting diagnosed with breast cancer. Black women” especially “stand to benefit from earlier screening, experts say. Breast cancer mortality is 40% higher among Black women than among white women, and Black women are more likely to get breast cancer at younger ages, the USPSTF report noted.”