All Women Recommended to Start Getting Regular Mammograms at Age 40

10/9/2023

Early Detection and Treatment for Breast Cancer Starts with Screenings

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends women who are at average risk for breast cancer get screening mammograms every two years starting at age 40. This is 10 years earlier than their previous recommendation and falls in line with recommendations of other breast cancer organizations. Mammograms should continue every year (some organizations recommend every 2 years) until women are 5-10 years of their expected end of life. The new USPSTF recommendation is in response to the increase in breast cancer diagnoses in younger women and high mortality rates in Black women.

Women with strong family histories of breast cancer, African Americans and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent should have a risk assessment at age 30 to see if a screening mammogram is needed before they are 40. Women who were previously diagnosed with breast cancer are recommended to be screened with magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI.

“Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best chance for survival for any cancer patient,” says Breast Surgeon Michelle Bertsch, M.D., FACS, of Lake Norman Medical Group, Surgery and Breast Health Mooresville. “Mammograms can often find breast cancer when it is small and confined to the breast which translates to improved survival and sometimes less treatment.”

Here in North Carolina, 8,911 new female breast cancer cases were reported in 2020, the most recent year data is available.

Early Detection Saves Lives

While mortality from breast cancer has declined in recent years, it remains the second most common cancer causing death in women. Lung cancer is the most common.

Fortunately, a screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center is encouraging women to schedule their screening now, because when breast cancer is detected early, life-saving treatment can begin right away.

Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early. The most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have regular mammograms. Since mammography became widely used in the 1980s, the U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped 43 percent through 2020.

To schedule a mammogram, call 704-660-4920. Or, to find a primary care doctor, visit LakeNormanMedicalGroup.com.

Sources

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-recommendation/breast-cancer-screening-adults#fullrecommendationstart
https://www.breastcancer.org/facts-statistics
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/screening.htm
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection/american-cancer-society-recommendations-for-the-early-detection-of-breast-cancer.html
https://www.jacr.org/article/S1546-1440(17)31524-7/pdf?_ga=2.93193812.894670593.1599667007-958177338.1599667007
https://gis.cdc.gov/Cancer/USCS/#/AtAGlance/

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