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Annual Mammograms - Start At Age 40
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Over the past 5 years or so, there's been a barrage of very confusing and seemingly contradictory recommendations coming from the medical community regarding the appropriate timing of screening mammograms. A new set of guidelines has now been issued (August, 2011) by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists which has restored some sanity and stability to this important topic.
Women should have an annual breast examination by their physician and annual mammograms starting at age 40.
Breast cancer is much more likely to be detected at an early stage with such screening. Women discovered to have a small cancer and which is confined to the breast have a 98% five year survival rate. The younger a woman is at the time of diagnosis, the more likely the cancer detected will be small. Older women have cancers which tend to grow faster and spread faster than those occurring in younger women. Put all these facts together and the advantages of annual mammograms starting at age 40 become very apparent.
Some physicians have suggested that this type of screening strategy only makes sense for women who are at higher risk (eg. women with a strong family history of breast cancer). However, 75% of breast cancer cases occur in women who are not in the high risk category - adding even more support for how important annual screening is for all women over age 40.
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