Breast Cancer Screening for Women in their 40s

There has been a lot of confusing information in the last couple of years about how often women in their 40s and 50s should get mammograms. But new recommendations from a prestigious doctors' group should help to clarify questions about how often women should get screened for breast cancer.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in recommendations released this week that doctors should offer all women in their 40s the opportunity to get annual screenings for breast cancer. This seems to contradict the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federally funded panel of experts, which said in 2009 that screening before age 50 should be an individual decision because the risks could outweigh the benefits. The panel recommended screening every other year for women over age 50.

Other organizations have disagreed with the task force. For example, both the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network say that women in their 40s should get annual mammograms.

Although this may seem like doctors contradicting each other, it's really all about encouraging women to be informed patients and to act as partners with their doctor in making decisions about their health care.

Half of women screened in their 40s will have a false positive on their mammograms. That means that they may get unnecessary biopsies to determine whether potential problems that show up on mammograms are really signs of cancer. You should talk to your doctor about whether you're willing to take the risk of a false alarm.

ACOG's guidelines do not apply to women who are at high risk for breast cancer because of a genetic predisposition or strong family history of the disease.

More information about breast cancer:

Why heart disease is more deadly than breast cancer

How often should you get a mammogram

More evidence that mammograms save lives