According to Patients, Fifty Is Too Late to Begin Breast Cancer Screening

Two-thirds of consumers think 50 is too late to start annual mammograms for the detection of breast cancer, according to a new study conducted by the health care technology company HealthMine. The survey asked 501 men and women their views. Nearly three-quarters of the women surveyed stated they wanted yearly mammograms to begin before age fifty. Sixty percent said every-other-year mammograms are not frequent enough.

These responses run counter to recent recommendations by the American Cancer Society and the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The Breast Imaging Section at UCSF continues to support annual mammography screening starting at age 40. Women at high risk may need to start screening earlier and women at very high risk may benefit from the addition of breast MRI. All women can benefit from digital breast tomosynthesis, which provides a 3D view of overlapping breast tissue. UCSF will launch tomosynthesis services in March, 2016.

Learn more about breast imaging at the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging here.