The recommendations for screening for breast cancer have again changed. Younger women and black women are having an increased incidence of breast cancer diagnosis and mortality rates of black women diagnosed with the disease are increasing. The main change according to the NY Times is that women of generally low risk and good health should be screened at 40 years of age, instead of 50 as previously recommended, by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It is unclear why more younger people are now being diagnosed, however, as I have always said to my patients, we know less about these cancers than we claim, and other than treatments, there is no cure or understanding of why people are getting breast cancer in these younger age groups. The screening is only allowing us to identify these patients sooner so they can get treatment however, without an understanding of why it is occurring or the availability of actual cures based on this knowledge, it is my opinion that this screening is hoping and praying we catch it earlier to successfully treat it rather than cure the mechanism which can be anywhere from hormonal, to genetic to environmental. Read about the latest recommendations in detail below. When Should Women Get Regular Mammograms? At 40, U.S. Panel Now Says. The new advice comes as breast cancer diagnoses rise among younger women and mortality rates among Black women remain persistently high. By Roni Caryn Rabin May 9, 2023 Alarmed by an increase in breast cancer diagnoses among younger women and persistently high death rates among Black women in particular, health experts on Tuesday offered a stark revision to the standard medical advice on mammograms. Women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds who are at average risk for breast cancer should start getting regular mammograms at age 40, instead of treating it as an individual decision until they are 50, as previously recommended, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said. The group issues influential guidelines on preventive health, and its recommendations usually are widely adopted in the United States. But the new advice, issued as a draft, represents something of a reversal. Read more