ACR and SBI Offer New Guidance for Breast Cancer Screening
Posted: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
African American women and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent may be at a higher-than-average risk for breast cancer, according to a recent study. Thus, in addition to starting annual mammographic screening by age 40, the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) now suggest all women should be assessed for breast cancer risk by age 30. Debra L. Monticciolo, MD, FACR, of Scott & White Medical Center, Texas A&M University Health Sciences, Temple, Texas, and colleagues indicate this screening strategy should help to identify those women at higher risk, who may benefit from supplemental screening.
“The latest scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports a continued general recommendation of starting annual screening at age 40,” Dr. Monticciolo said in an ACR news release. “It also supports augmented and earlier screening for many women. These updates will help save more lives.” Dr. Monticciolo is Chair of the ACR Breast Imaging Commission, who conducted the study.
Furthermore, the study recommended that women with a genetics-based increased risk or a lifetime risk of over 20% should be screened using digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis annually beginning at age 30. Patients with a history of chest radiation therapy before they turned 30 should also be screened similarly, but beginning at age 25 or 8 years after radiation therapy, whichever is later. Women with no such histories or who have atypical lobular hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ should consider magnetic resonance screening, especially if other risk factors are present.
