USPSTF’s Proposed Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines prompt comments from UCSF Breast Imaging faculty Bonnie Joe, MD, PhD, and Kimberly Ray, MD

On May 9, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) proposed a significant change to current breast cancer screening guidelines. The USPSTF’s draft proposal recommends lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age for average risk women to 40. Current USPSTF guidelines, in place since 2016, recommend starting biennial screening by age 50. 

The new recommendations are a positive step, but don’t go far enough, according to Bonnie Joe, MD, PhD, professor and chief of Breast Imaging at UCSF. “The goal of breast cancer screening is to reduce breast cancer deaths and morbidity — the adverse impact of the disease on the person. We should stick to that goal, and annual screening — not biennial – is the best way to meet this goal for those at average risk.”