New breast cancer US guidelines call for later screenings

The American Cancer Society (ACS) released new guidelines for breast cancer screening Tuesday that starkly reflect changing attitudes toward how often women should receive mammograms.

Claiming that the cancer risk factor for younger women remained low, the U.S.’s largest cancer charity pushed back the recommended age to begin annual mammograms from 40 to 45.

The change signals a new attitude toward mammograms, which pose their own risks due to exposure to radiation. Women can transition to receiving mammograms every other year after age 55 since research shows breast cancers usually grow slower after menopause.

“Though the evidence shows that there are some benefits from mammography screening starting at age 40, those benefits more clearly outweigh the harms from age 45 onward,” chair of the American Cancer Society Guideline Development Group Elizabeth Fontham explained in a release.

Another big change is that the ACS no longer suggest women receive breast examinations from doctors during routine checkups – the society notes that there is no evidence these tests save lives.   

“These recommendations are made with the intent of maximizing reductions in breast cancer mortality and years of life saved while being attentive to the need to minimize harms associated with screening,” Kevin Oeffinger, M.D., chair of the breast cancer guideline panel, said in a statement. “The benefits, burdens, and judgment about that balance differ depending on a woman’s age, health, values, and preferences.”

The changes are somewhat remarkable considering the ACS’ staunch criticism of suggestions by a federal taskforce in 2009 that mammograms should start at age 50, not 40. As recently as 1992, the ACS suggested women as young as 35 receive mammograms.

Evidence suggests the detection of breast cancer in younger women actually does not save many lives, and mammograms for women aged 40-49 can often lead to false positives and unnecessary biopsies.