Breast screening at age 40 not routinely advised, Canadian task force says

People should be able to get a mammogram starting at age 40 but it shouldn't be routinely offered to women under 50 who are of average risk, new Canadian screening guidelines suggest.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care is an organization created by the federal government to develop clinical practice guidelines in areas like cancer to guide family physicians and their patients. The members include family doctors, nurse practitioners as well as cancer specialists and patient partners.

The task force «does not recommend regular screenings for women under 50 who are of average risk,» a spokesperson said in an email to CBC News on Thursday. «However, the task force believes breast cancer screening is a personal choice, and that any woman who wants a screening should be able to get one.»

The task force said if someone of average risk age 40 and over understands the benefits and harms of early screening and wants to have it, they should be able to get a mammogram every two to three years. It noted the risk of harms such as unnecessary tests and anxiety.

Screening aims to catch a disease like breast cancer before it causes any problems that are noticeable by the patient. In contrast, diagnostic tests are done when someone shows symptoms, such as a lump.

Earlier this month, theCanadian Cancer Society called for breast screening to routinely begin at age 40, a target many provinces and territories are moving toward.

When researchers at the University of Ottawa compared breast cancer statistics from provinces that screened women in their 40s to data from provinces that followed the task force guidelines, they concluded earlier screening led to significantly improved survival rates.

Women aged 40 to 49 can self-refer to a