III.

Mammography Recommendations

Despite conflicting results about the effectiveness of mammography in preventing deaths in younger women, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel coordinated by the Department of Health and Human Services, recommends that women have a screening mammogram every one to two years beginning at age 40. The American Cancer Society also recommends that women over age 40 have a mammogram every year. Most doctors agree, however, that if a woman has a family history of breast cancer, she should begin mammography at an earlier age. Many medical authorities recommend combining mammography with other forms of breast cancer screening, such as breast self-exams and clinical breast exams performed by a physician or other health-care provider, although scientific studies have not shown that these forms of screening prevent breast cancer deaths.

Scientists first began to recognize the usefulness of mammography in detecting breast cancer around 1960. However, mammography did not become widely used for breast cancer screening in the United States until the 1980s. As mammography became more widespread, several studies showed that the quality of mammograms varied greatly at different centers that performed the test. To address these problems, Congress passed the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) in 1992. This legislation sets standards for mammography equipment, image quality, record keeping, and staff qualifications to help ensure that high-quality mammography is available to women everywhere in the United States.