In contrast, the expert panel recommends breast cancer screening at age 40
Citing rising rates of breast cancer in young women, an expert panel on Tuesday recommended starting regular mammography screening at age 40, reversing long-standing and controversial guidance that most women wait up to 50 years old.The committee, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, finalized a draft recommendation made public last year. The group issues influential advice on preventative health, and its recommendations are generally widely adopted in the United States.In 2009, the task force raised the age to begin routine mammograms from 40 to 50, sparking widespread controversy. At the time, researchers feared that early screening would cause more harm than good, leading to unnecessary treatments in younger women, including alarming findings that led to invasive but ultimately fu...