Annual mammograms save lives

Recommendations may differ, but yearly is best

NEW RECOMMENDATIONS RELEASED this year by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lower the breast cancer screening age to 40. While these new guidelines are a step in the right direction, they still recommend that women get screened only every other year. Along with leading medical organizations, we recommend getting a mammogram every year. 

As the differing recommendations can be confusing to patients, we’ve answered some common questions to provide clarity on the matter.

What are the current recommendations on screening mammograms?

The American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging recommend all women of average lifetime risk for breast cancer begin getting mammograms at age 40—every year. The societies also recommend that women keep getting screened after age 74, unless they have serious health problems that shorten their life expectancy. 

Why is it still important to get a mammogram every year?

Annual screening offers the best chance for early detection, when cancer can be caught while still treatable, leading to favorable prognosis. Studies have shown that women who skip even one scheduled mammogram screening before a breast cancer diagnosis can face a significantly higher risk of death. Skipping a year allows cancers to grow undetected, potentially resulting in a more advanced tumor at the time of diagnosis, which in turn necessitates more extensive surgical procedures and harsher treatments. 

Will my insurance still cover a mammogram every year?

Most insurance companies still cover annual mammograms starting at age 40 for women of average risk, as well as a baseline mammogram for women ages 35-39. There are also programs for those who are uninsured and underinsured, including the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Program. Some insurance plans also cover supplemental screening annually for women of higher risk.

What about women with higher than average risk factors?

The ACR/SBI urge that all women talk to their health care providers by age 25 to evaluate their risk of breast cancer and to determine if they need to be screened with mammogram and/or MRI before age 40. 

What factors might increase my risk?

You have family members with breast cancer (although most women who develop breast cancer have no breast cancer in their family). 

• You have already had breast cancer. 
• You carry certain genetic mutations, including BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. 
• Someone in your family is a genetic mutation carrier and you remain untested yourself. 
• You are Black or of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
• You have been previously treated with radiation to your chest for cancer. 
• You have had certain “high-risk” results on breast biopsies such as atypia or pre-cancerous lesions. 
• You have dense breast tissue on mammography.

DR. AURELA CLARK AND DR. JENNIFER WANG are radiologists with the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.