Task force now recommends breast cancer screenings start at age 40

Women should start regular mammography screenings at age 40 and continue every other year until age 74, an expert advisory panel said Tuesday. 

Citing the increase in breast cancer among younger women, the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) changed their previous guidance, which recommended biennial mammograms starting by age 50, but said the decision for women in their 40s “should be an individual one.” 

“Fundamentally, this is a shift from recommending that women start screening between the ages of 40 and 50...