USPSTF lowers age of first recommended mammograms to 40 from 50 

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said in a report released Tuesday that all women should start getting mammograms every other year starting at age 40. The guideline moves the regular screening age to 40 instead of 50, and means that all women between 40 and 74 should get mammograms every other year.

Previously, women could decide for themselves if they wanted the screening between 40 and 50 based on a woman’s risk factor and preferences, and women over 50 were encouraged to get regular screenings. The USPSTF said earlier screening as per the new recommendations could save about 20% more lives.

“More women in their 40s have been getting breast cancer, with rates increasing about 2 percent each year, so this recommendation will make a big difference for people across the country,” Wanda Nicholson, MD, task force chairperson, said in a USPSTF statement.

The task force updated its recommendation on modeling that looked at benefits to screening Black women, who are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer compared to white women. Black women often get aggressive cancers at a young age, the USPSTF said.

“This new approach has even greater potential benefit for Black women, who are much more likely to die of breast cancer,” Nicholson said.

The USPSTF’s guidelines have historically been less aggressive than those of the American Cancer Society. The ACS recommends that women can choose to start mammograms between 40 and 44 and get yearly screenings between 45 to 54. Women 55 and older can get mammograms every other year or go annually.

The American College of Radiology (ACR), which represents the nation’s radiologists, said the new recommendations from the USPSTF still “do not go far enough to save more women’s lives.” They want all women to have breast cancer risk assessments at age 25 and have annual mammograms at 40.

Meanwhile, the USPSTF has been hesitant to recommend mammograms for people over 74, saying there’s not enough research on benefits and harms of continuing the screening into old age.The updated USPSTF recommendations were published Tuesday in a report in JAMA.