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A health experts' panel in the United States has asked women to start getting regular mammograms at age 40, instead of the earlier recommended age of 50.
The revised guidelines came on Tuesday, 9 May, amid increased incidence of breast cancer diagnosis and "persistently high death rates among Black women in particular," The New York Times reported.
Here’s all you need to know.
Who should care? The new guidelines are for over 20 million women in the US who are between the ages of 40 - 49.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the world. It’s also the second leading cause of death in women struggling with cancer.
How often should one get screened? Women between the ages of 40-74 should get screened at least once every two years, according to the new draft guidelines.
Those who have already had breast cancer
Those who might have genetic mutations
Those who have previously found breast lesions in their biopsies
Karen E Knudsen, CEO of the cancer society, however told NYT, "We are steadfast on annual screening."
What next? The panel has stated that more research is still needed to understand why there’s a “racial disparity.” There’s also a need to evaluate how much these screenings in younger women would help.
(Written with inputs from New York Times.)
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