12 Things Black Women Need to Know About the New Mammogram Guidelines

In the United States, Black women have a 40 percent higher death rate from breast cancer than white women, even though they are not more likely to develop the disease. That disparity also accounts for younger women, who are now developing breast cancer more frequently.

This data prompted the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to recommend women began getting mammograms at age 40. The new guidance can protect many women from developing breast cancer, but do you know exactly what it means?

BlackDoctor.org sat down with Dr. Toma Omofoye, oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to break down why the new guidelines are important for Black women.

1. What should women, specifically Black women know about the new guidelines?

The new guidelines emphasize that young women and especially young Black women are developing breast cancer at higher rates.  

For Black women, the risk of dying from breast cancer in their 40s is relatively high compared to other racial/ethnic groups, so early detection is crucial.

2. Why are the new guidelines important?

The new USPSTF guidelines encourage average-risk women to begin screening at earlier ages (age 40). Screening with mammography is an important proven tool for decreasing the risk of dying from breast cancer.  Screening allows doctors to find cancers when they are small and easier to treat,

While these recommendations are recent from the USPSTF, many other professional bodies have been recommending for years that screening should begin at 40. In fact, those organizations also recommend that women get a mammogram yearly (not every other year like USPSTF). Screening early and often saves the most lives.

RELATED: Experts Recommend All Women Get Mammograms Starting at Age 40

3. What prompted the age to be lowered to 40?

Rates of breast cancer in young women is increasing rapidly over the last two decades.

There is already a disproportional mortality rate for Black women when it comes to breast cancer, and later screening could make this situation worse. Black women have higher rates of genetic mutations, aggressive subtypes, dense breasts, delays in diagnosis or treatment… all factors contributing to more deaths. It’s especially important that screening begin earlier in our population. 

4. Why is the recommendation only for average-risk women and how does a woman know her risk for developing breast cancer?

For women who are at higher than average risk, we recommend that they begin screening even earlier than 40, screen with more tools than just mammography (such as MRI), and may screen more frequently than yearly. 

The American College of Radiology emphasizes that all women need to know their risk by age 25.  A woman can find out her risk by