The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recently issued a recent advisory recommending that ladies should begin receiving regular mammograms starting on the age of 40.

Previously, the benchmark age for such screenings was 50 years old. Now researchers are emphasizing that kicking off the screening process at an earlier age can increase one’s probabilities of detecting any potential issues at an earlier stage, thereby facilitating timely treatment.

The recently-released draft suggestion statement suggests that ladies arrange regular breast exams and mammogram screenings and perform monthly breast self-examinations.

It also stresses the necessity for deeper research to best address the disparities faced by Black, Hispanic, Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American and Alaska Native women. It says that more studies are required to grasp how women with dense breasts can potentially profit from early detection of breast cancer by incorporating breast ultrasound or MRI into their screening process, Healthline reported.

Women are more susceptible to breast cancer after 40, so it could actually routinely be assumed that screenings also needs to start after that age. As per the American Cancer Society’s suggestion, women should consider starting annual screenings between ages 40 and 44 but must have yearly mammograms starting at age 45.

“I’m pleased with the change within the draft recommendations by the USPSTF to start mammography for average-risk women at age 40,” said Dr. Pamela Berens, obstetrician and gynecologist with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, in line with Healthline.

“This reversal from the duty force’s previous suggestion for girls to begin mammograms at age 50 may on the surface seem confusing, nevertheless it boils all the way down to saving more lives,” said Dr. Irene M. Kang, medical director of girls’s health medical oncology at City of Hope Orange County and medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine, California.

Kang added that the NCCN has provided guidelines stating that ladies should undergo breast cancer risk assessment at age 25, and those that are considered to be at average risk of developing breast cancer should begin annual mammograms at age 40. Kang further noted that these guidelines are consistent with the brand new advisory.

Moreover, in consideration of the undeniable fact that women from different demographics are disproportionately affected by breast cancer, appropriate steps ought to be taken to make sure that mammograms and regular cancer screenings are accessible to everyone.

Women who speak only Spanish have fewer mammograms in US.
Elías Alarcón – Pixabay

Published by Medicaldaily.com