WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger, at age 40, according to an influential U.S. task force. Women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year, the group said.
Previously, the task force had said women could choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the exams every two years from age 50 through 74.
The announcement Tuesday from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes official a draft recommendation announced last year. The recommendations were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Breast cancer death rates have fallen as treatment continues to improve. But breast cancer is still the second-most common cause of cancer death for U.S. women. About 240,000 cases are diagnosed annually and nearly 43,000 women die from breast cancer.
Dr. Lucy De La Cruz is the current Chief of the Breast Surgery Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She tells WUSA9 the American Society of Breast Surgeons has recommended for years that women start mammograms at 40 years, and hopes screening guidelines will go even further in the years to come.
"The U.S. Taskforce has made a great shift, it's still a little bit behind and I hope that they continue to shifting towards meeting us all where we are right now," said Dr. De La Cruz.
WHEN SHOULD I GET MY FIRST MAMMOGRAM?
Age 40 is when mammograms should start for women, transgender men and nonbinary people at average risk. They should have the X-ray exam every other year, according to the new guidance. Other groups recommend annual mammograms, starting at 40 or 45. The advice does not apply to women who've had breast cancer or those at very high risk of breast cancer because of genetic markers. It also does not apply to women who had high-dose radiation therapy to the chest when they were young, or to women who've had a lesion on previous biopsies.
DOES THIS AFFECT INSURANCE COVERAGE?
Congress already passed legislation requiring insurers to pay for mammograms for women 40 and older without copays or deductibles. In addition, the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover task force recommendations with an “A” or “B” letter grade. The mammography recommendation has a “B” grade, meaning it has moderate net benefit.
RELATED: Mammograms should start at 40 to address rising breast cancer rates at younger ages, panel says
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