Prevention · Cancer screening
Breast cancer screening
Breast cancer screening with mammography aims to find cancer early. Current age and frequency recommendations and what to discuss with your clinician.
Written by LON6EVITY Editorial Team · Last updated
Current recommendation
In 2024 the USPSTF recommended mammography every two years for women aged 40 to 74. Screening programmes in other countries use different age ranges and intervals.
Benefits and harms
Screening can find cancers earlier, but it also leads to false positives and some overdiagnosis. These trade-offs are part of the decision.
Higher risk
Women with a strong family history, known genetic variants such as BRCA, or prior chest radiation may need a different screening plan.
Factors that can affect the result
- Age
- Family history
- Genetic variants
- Breast density
Questions people commonly ask
- What if I have dense breasts?
- Dense tissue can make mammograms harder to read; discuss whether additional imaging is appropriate.
Related topics
See where your preventive health stands
What does this mean for your own health data? Log your results, follow trends over time and bring an organised summary to your next doctor's appointment.
Sources
- Breast Cancer: Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2024.