Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, after lung cancer, in women in the United States, and the leading cause of cancer death in black and Hispanic women according to the American Cancer Society.

When should you get a mammogram?
New draft recommendations were released this year for breast cancer screenings by the United States Preventive Services Task Force — a volunteer panel of national experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine. 
These recommendations encourage women to start breast cancer screening mammograms at age 40 instead of 50, as previously recommended. 

Who is at risk of getting breast cancer?
“The two biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer in this country are being a woman and being alive,” said Dr. Dana Holwitt, board-certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist.

More women in their 40s are being diagnosed with breast cancer, so the benefits of screening this group outweigh potential harms. The likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer is highest in white women, but black women have the lowest survival rate, according to Dr. Holwitt. 

“Since 2020, we are seeing about a one percent increase per year of the incidence of breast cancer in women under the age of 45,” said Holwitt. “And this hasn’t happened prior to 2020.”

Holwitt says the main thing she wants women to know is the best way to improve your chances of finding breast cancer before it can be felt is to get your screening mammogram. “Don’t wait, it’s not worth it.”