Each year in the U.S. about 240,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. To help prevent breast cancer cases from going undiagnosed and untreated, there's been a change in the breast screening recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) — a government organization that works to improve the health of our population nationwide by making evidence-based recommendations on effective ways to prevent disease and prolong life.

“We have long known that screening for breast cancer saves lives, and the science now supports all women getting screened, every other year, starting at age 40.”

The recommendation had been that screening should start no later than age 50. The USPSTF now says that women between the ages of 40 to 74 years should have a mammography every other year.

“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 in their 40's. We have long known that screening for breast cancer saves lives, and the science now supports all women getting screened, every other year, starting at age 40,” the task force stated in a press release.

There are exceptions. This recommendation does not apply to people who have certain conditions that require more frequent and earlier screenings. This includes people with:

  • A genetic marker or syndrome associated with a high risk of breast cancer such as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, the genes most commonly affected in hereditary breast (and ovarian) cancer.
  • A history of high-dose radiation therapy to the chest at a young age.
  • Previous breast cancer or a high-risk breast cancer lesion in previous biopsies.

The Affordable Care Act has required all new health insurance plans to cover screening mammograms; and Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance companies cover the full cost of screening mammograms.

The USPSTF updated recommendation more closely aligns with the current clinical practice from other leading organizations including the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging.

Both groups recommend annual screening beginning at age 40. The American Cancer Society states that all women should be given the opportunity to be screened at age 40, but recommends annual screening at 45 and biennial screening at age 55 with the option to continue screening annually.

What about screening for women 75 and older, or supplemental screening using breast ultrasonography or MRI for women with dense breasts or those with negative screening results from their mammograms? In both cases, the USPSTF concluded that current evidence is insufficient to make recommendations.

Disparities in breast cancer outcomes were other areas the Task Force focused on. Black women are 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than white women and more likely to get aggressive cancers at young ages.

An editorial in JAMA Oncology on the new guidelines recognized them as “a welcome and important change” but added that the revised recommendations “don't go far enough.” It underscored the fact that Black and Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer before the age of 50, and with more advanced stages and worse outcomes.

Don't let the worries about the cost keep you from getting a mammogram. The Affordable Care Act requires all new health insurance plans to cover screening mammograms, and Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance companies cover the full cost of screening mammograms.

The new USPSTF recommendations are published in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association.