An influential group of medical experts, the US Preventive Services Task Force, recommended last week that most women receive a mammogram starting at age 40. Women should continue to get a mammogram every other year to screen for breast cancer until age 74, the task force said.
This is a marked difference from the task force’s previous guidance, which was to start biennial mammograms by age 50. Women in their 40s were counseled to make individual decisions together with their health care provider, but there was no explicit recommendation for them to start until they turned 50.
I wanted to learn more about why these changes were made. Who should follow this updated guidance, and are there women who need to receive screening even earlier or more often? What other tests besides a mammogram may be needed? And are there preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer?
To help us with these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.