Rourke said baseline screening usually begins around age 40 and should be repeated annually.
“My personal bias is that a baseline screening mammogram at [age] 35 can go a long way. Determining when to start and how often to get a mammogram has become unnecessarily confusing for women (and even for doctors and care teams),” she said, drawing attention to recent conflicting advice.
“The USPSTF issued the new recommendation based mainly on the limitations of mammography technology, in direct opposition to the professional cancer organizations such as the ACS, the ACR, the SSO, the ASBrS, and the ASCO, who all stood by the original recommendation of beginning at age 40. This became so confusing that no one knew what to do, and many still don’t,” Rourke explained.
“While the USPSTF has since rolled back its original recommendation, the ambiguity remains. With all the confusion, women have been lost to follow-up and have fallen through the cracks by not going for their yearly [mammograms],” she continued.
“For an average risk woman, I recommend screening at the age of 40 years, and it is consistent with NCCN guidelines. If the woman is healthy with a life expectancy of more than 10 years and is willing to go for a mammogram, then I offer it,” Raza said.
“Annual mammography is generally recommended by most of the guidelines, whereas USPSTF recommends a biennial mammogram after the age of 40,” he added.
