Health task force lowers recommended age for mammograms to 40 - this is when should you get screened for cancer

A US medical taskforce last week lowered the age at which women are recommended to be screened for breast cancer — from 50 to 40.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said women with an average risk of breast cancer - determined by your doctor based on genetics and lifestyle - should get a mammogram every other year beginning at 40 years old and continuing through 74. 

Women at higher risk because of genetics or certain health history should discuss options with their doctor, which remains unchanged from previous guidance. 

Previously, the medical group said the only women under 50 who should be routinely screened are those with a high genetic risk.

The change is in response to a rise in early-onset breast cancer cases - those diagnosed in women younger than 50 years old, which has been linked to poor nutrition, obesity and exposure to toxic substances. 

Dr Linnea Chap, the director of Breast Cancer and Women’s Oncology at the Beverly Hills Cancer Center, told DailyMail.com: 'If you are 40 or older, definitely get a screening [mammogram]. It may save your life.'

 Breast cancer accounts for about 30 percent of all new female cancers per year (stock image)

It is not clear yet if health insurance carriers will universally cover the screening because of the updated guidelines and coverage usually varies woman-to-woman and policy-to-policy.

Out of pocket costs for a mammogram can range from $140 to $300.  

Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician, said she encourages women to be aware of the new guidelines and discuss them with their doctor, noting the update only applies to women at average risk of the cancer.

Dr Wen told CNN: 'In recent years, there has been a disturbing trend of cancer diagnoses increasing among young people. This is the case with colon cancer as well as with breast cancer.

'I would encourage woman to be aware of this updated guidance and discuss it with their physicians.'

A mammogram is an x-ray image of the breasts used to detect and diagnose breast cancer in women. 

It uses low-dose x-rays to obtain an image of the inside of the breasts to look for masses or other abnormalities that may indicate cancer. 

The above shows the most common type of cancer in each country, with breast cancer the top form in dozens of countries

The above shows the most common cancers and their mortality rates in all countries around the world 

It is a non-invasive test that has women stand at an x-ray machine as plates flatten the breast while the machine takes images. The process will be repeated on multiple angles of both breasts, but typically only takes several minutes. 

The updated USPSTF guidelines are now more in line with those of other medical bodies. 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends mammograms every one to two years beginning at 40 and the American Cancer Society suggests women between 40 and 44 years old get mammograms every year, but strongly recommends them for women 45 and older. 

In the US, breast cancer is the second most common cancer after skin cancers and across the globe, it is most common in dozens of countries, including the UK, Canada, India, South Africa, Australia and Mexico. 

The ACS estimates there will be about 310,300 new cases in 2024 and 42,250 women will die from the disease. 

The lifetime average risk for women to get breast cancer is 13 percent, meaning one-in-eight women will develop the disease. 

The median age of diagnosis is 62 years old and just a small number of women are diagnosed with the disease under the age of 45. 

However, rates around that age have been increasing. 

The ACS said the rise in incidence rates in women under 50 is one percent, while the overall incidence rate is 0.6 percent per year. 

And the USPSTF said incidence has gradually increased among women aged 40 to 49 years from 2000 to 2015 but increased more noticeably from 2015 to 2019, with a 2.0 percent average annual increase. 

The rise in breast cancer among younger women follows a similar global trend that is seeing a surge in early-onset cancer diagnoses - those in people under 50 years old.

And younger women tend to have more aggressive forms of breast cancer compared to women diagnosed at later ages.  

The disease is the second leading cause of cancer death in women behind lung cancer. 

About one-in-40 women will die of breast cancer and that number has been steadily decreasing since 1989. 

Early detection and intervention, as well as more awareness is believed to be behind the fall in deaths.