ACOG Endorses Annual Mammograms for Women in Their 40s

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends annual mammography in women who are 40 years and older. Previously, they had recommended screening every 1 to 2 years for women in their 40s and annual screening beginning at age 50.

The group changed the recommendation based on the relatively short sojourn time in this age group (the interval from when a mammogram detects cancer to when a patient becomes symptomatic), breast cancer incidence, and the potential to lower breast cancer mortality.

The guidelines, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, are in line with those of several imaging groups, but not those of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which in 2009 recommended against routine mammography for women in their 40s, saying that such screening should be individualized. The ACOG guidelines include a discussion of the differences between the two sets of recommendations.