evidence: Women who are at average risk for breast cancer should start mammogram screening at age 40 and get one every two years until age 74. That’s the latest recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent, volunteer panel of national experts that makes recommendations focused on disease prevention. Previously, the USPSTF said that women should start mammograms—X-ray examinations of the breast used to detect cancer and other breast diseases—at age 50. The new advice does not apply to women considered high risk, including those who have had breast cancer, carry genetic mutations that increase cancer risk, have had high-risk breast lesions on previous biopsies, or have experienced high-dose chest radiation before age 30. Women in this category should continue to follow their doctor’s advice on screening age and frequency. [...] "Studies have not consistently shown a benefit in women between the ages of 40 and 50 receiving mammograms," says Dr. Winer. "And there are false positives, which can lead to more invasive testing and over-treatment, particularly for early cancers that may never progress."