New guidelines recommend women start getting mammograms at age 40

Los Angeles, April 30 (EFE). – Women should get mammograms every two years starting at age 40, as recommended this Tuesday by new guidance from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF in English) to combat the disease. mammary cancer.

Until now, women were required to start getting these screenings at age 50, and women at age 40 were advised to talk to their doctor based on their medical history and risks, but new guidance now advises all women to start at age 40 with a mammogram and continue until as long as age 74.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.

“More women in their 40s are getting breast cancer, and the incidence rate is increasing by about 2 percent each year, so this recommendation will be significant,” Wanda Nicholson, president of the USPSTF, said in a statement.

The doctor added that by starting screening of all women by age 40, “we could save almost 20 percent more lives” who may be affected by breast cancer.

The new approach has even greater potential benefit for African American women, who are more likely (40%) to die from the disease than white women.

Dr. John Wong, vice president of the USPSTF, emphasized that the new recommendation is part of efforts to eliminate health disparities associated with breast cancer.

The recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer, as well as women with a family history of breast cancer and women with dense breasts.

Those who are at very high risk of developing breast cancer due to certain genetic markers or a history of radiation therapy, or who have previously had a biopsy, are strongly advised to talk to their doctor.

The new recommendation was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.