Breast Cancer Screening at 40 not 50

According to directive issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, women should get screened for breast cancer at age 40 and not wait until they are 50 years old. According to the institution, women are at higher risk of death related to breast cancer if they start getting annual mammograms post 50 years of age.

This news has been welcomed by women all over America as it is true that early detection of breast cancer is immensely helpful in its successful treatment. In fact, many celebrities across the US are supporting the move and are happy that the US Preventive Services Task Force’s guideline for women has been rejected. According to the task force, women should wait until they are 50 to get mammograms and that they need to get tested every year and a check-up every 2 years if perfectly fine.

In the US, deaths of women due to breast cancer stand at a whopping 39,520 and nearly 230,480 cases have been registered in 2011 alone. Therefore, this directive is a step in the right direction, when it comes to early detection and treatment of breast cancer. It can only be hoped that in a country such as India such a directive is issued, where nearly 90000 cases were reported in 2010 and most breast cancer cases are detected at an advanced stage which increases the incidence of deaths caused due to breast cancer.

Read more articles on Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis