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William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
Posted: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) previously recommended that women in their 40s decide when to start breast cancer screening based on their health history and preferences. The USPSTF’s recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer, as well as those with a family history of breast cancer and those with dense breasts. However, USPSTF now published a final recommendation statement saying that all women undergo screening for breast cancer every other year starting at age 40 and continuing through age 74 (B grade recommendation). A summary of these recommendations was published in JAMA.
“By starting to screen all women at age 40, we can save nearly 20% more lives from breast cancer overall. This new approach has even greater potential benefit for Black women, who are much more likely to die of breast cancer,” said Task Force Chair Wanda K. Nicholson, MD, MPH, MBA, of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, Washington, DC, in a press release.
The USPSTF systematic review included cisgender women and all other persons assigned female at birth, aged 40 and older, and who have an average risk of breast cancer. The USPSTF’s recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer, as well as those with a family history of breast cancer and those with dense breasts.
The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women between the ages of 40 and 74 (B recommendation). The Task Force concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening mammography in women aged 75 or older. The USPSTF also concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of supplemental screening for breast cancer using breast ultrasonography or MRI in women identified to have dense breasts on an otherwise negative screening mammogram.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
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