Once a woman turns 40, experts advise that she at the very least think about starting a breast cancer screening program. A recent study reveals that is crucial for Black women in particular.
Researchers looked at data on breast cancer fatalities in the United States and discovered, as in prior studies, that Black women in their 40s had a significantly higher risk of dying from the disease than other women their age. Black women experienced a difference from women of all other investigated races and ethnicities.
That racial gap is well-known. This study went a step further by attempting to determine the ideal age to begin breast cancer screening for women of all races and ethnicities.
The conclusion was that Black women should begin eight years earlier than is now advised by guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
According to their recommendations, mammography screening for women with an average risk of breast cancer should begin at age 50. According to the new research, Black women should start their careers at age 42.
The data, according to experts, are insufficient to alter breast cancer screening recommendations, which in fact shift depending on the organization issuing them.
However, they do stress that “no one-size-fits-all” applies to all women, according to Dr. Arif Kamal, the American Cancer Society’s chief patient officer.The society’s own recommendations differ from those of the USPSTF — a government-funded panel of medical experts. The ACS recommends yearly mammography screening starting at age 45 for all average-risk women. It also says that women ages 40 to 44 should have the option to start yearly screening.
For its part, the USPSTF says women in their 40s should have the choice to start mammography screening if they want it.
Kamal said the new study findings largely align with the ACS recommendations for average-risk women — though they do not give separate advice based on race or ethnicity.
