Higher Risk Women Benefit from Earlier Breast Screening

Women with dense breasts or a first-degree relative with breast cancer are twice as likely as average-risk women to develop breast cancer in their 40s[1] and these women would benefit from beginning mammography screening at age 40[2], according to the results of two studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Different groups of experts have reached different conclusions about when mammographic screening should begin and how often it should be performed. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that routine screening of average-risk women begin at age 50 and be performed every two years. In contrast, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends annual screening beginning at age 40. 

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