More screen time
Experts recommend earlier checks for breast cancer
A MAMMOGRAM at 40 may not be enough to combat breast cancer. The American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging are now recommending that women as young as 30 get a risk assessment — such as a genetic test — to determine what kind of formal cancer screening they need.
The new guidelines were announced in early April as a way to encourage early detection among younger women with a higher risk for breast cancer.
“It’s pretty obvious that the current recommendations [of getting a mammogram at 40] are missing a lot of women who are developing breast cancer at a young age,” says Dr. Elizabeth Morris, chief of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Although breast cancer in younger women is rela- tively rare — about 7 percent of women diagnosed are under the age of 40 — survival rates for these women are lower, according to the National Institutes of Health.
According to ACR, women in high-risk categories may need more aggressive screening before turning 40. Those with genetic mutations, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 — Angelina Jolie has the former — may need annual MRI screenings. African-American and Ashkenazi Jewish women also may require supplemental screening.
With genetic tests, women can see if their risk factors call for more aggressive screening, Morris says. She recommends speaking with your doctor about risk assessments and at-home genetic testing kits.