All women are now encouraged to start screening for breast cancer at age 40, a U.S. task force announced Tuesday, revising a past recommendation to begin regular mammograms at 50.
The updated practice could increase the number of lives saved by 19%, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in its draft recommendation.
“New and more inclusive science about breast cancer in people younger than 50 has enabled us to expand our prior recommendation and encourage all women to get screened every other year starting at age 40,” said Dr. Carol Mangione, the task force’s immediate past chair. “This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer.”
Breast cancer is the second-most common type of cancer among women in the U.S., trailing only skin cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, the U.S. recorded 264,121 new cases of breast cancer among women, including 33,582 cases among women between the ages of 40 and 49.
Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, according to the task force, which stressed the need for more research to determine what causes the disparity.
“Ensuring Black women start screening at age 40 is an important first step, yet it is not enough to improve the health inequities we face related to breast cancer,” said Dr. Wanda Nicholson, vice chair of the task force. “In our draft recommendation, we underscore the importance of equitable follow-up after screening and timely and effective treatment of breast cancer and are urgently calling for more research on how to improve the health of Black women.”
The task force says Tuesday’s advisory includes women at average risk of breast cancer. The recommendation applies to those with a family history of the disease and to women with dense breasts.
“We know that women with dense breasts are at higher risk of breast cancer and, unfortunately, mammograms do not work as well for them,” said Dr. John Wong, a member of the task force. “What we don’t know yet, and what we are urgently calling for more research on, is whether and how additional screening for women with dense breasts might be helpful, including through ultrasound, breast MRIs, or something else.”
The task force’s recommendation differs from that of the American Cancer Society, which says women between ages 45 and 54 should get screened annually and that women between 40 and 44 should have the option to.