The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has suggested that all women aged 40 to 74 years should undergo screening for breast cancer biennially i.e., once every two years, according to a new draft recommendation statement on May 9, 2023.¹ 

Notably, the Task Force has lowered the age of initiation of screening to 40 years instead of 50 years as had been recommended in the 2016 guideline, which also said that the decision to start screening earlier than 50 years “should be an individual one”.

It has been given Grade B recommendation, which according to the Task Force means that this service should be offered or provided as “there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial”.2

These recommendations do not apply to high-risk women – those who have a personal history of breast cancer, presence of genetic markers (BRCA gene), those who have received high-dose radiation therapy to their chest when they were young or women who were found to have a high-risk lesion on earlier biopsies.

Additionally, the Task Force has made recommendations for women aged 75 years or older and women with dense breasts. It says that there is inadequate evidence if these women should undergo breast ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as screening modalities if their screening mammograms are negative. These statements have been given Grade I recommendation, which means that “the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service. Evidence is lacking, of poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined”.2

The draft recommendation statement is available on USPSTF website for comments till June 5, 2023.

References

1. Breast Cancer: Screening. May 09, 2023. Available at: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-recommendation/breast-cancer-screening-adults#bcei-recommendation-title-area. Accessed on May 10, 2023.
2. Available at: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/about-uspstf/methods-and-processes/grade-definitions. Accessed on May 10, 2023.