Breast Cancer Screenings Should Start at 40, Not 50

Women should undergo breast cancer screening every other year starting at age 40, a panel of US experts said, 10 years earlier than the group previously recommended.

Breast cancer is among the most common and deadly cancers for women in the US. Prior guidance from the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of primary care experts, advised women to get biennial screenings for breast cancer by age 50. The old guidance suggested women in their 40s, especially those with a family history of breast cancer, discuss screening with their doctors on a case-by-case basis.