Task force: Women should get breast cancer screenings starting at age 40

[Fox 9 News, May 09, 2023] An influential panel said Tuesday that women should begin getting mammograms every other year starting when they’re 40 years old, instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the X-ray exams every two years from age 50 through 74. Black women are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

"It's a very good feeling to find a small cancer that is treatable. It's very sad to find a huge cancer and you realize if they just had a screening mammogram years ago, you would have found it," said Dr. Deborah Longley, a diagnostic radiologist and breast imaging specialist with Allina Health.