evidence: In its most recent guidelines for mammography screening, issued in April 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended biennial screening mammography for women ages 40 to 74. (It concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the benefits and harms of providing mammography screening for women 75 and older, and made the same conclusion around breast ultrasonography or MRI supplemental screening for women identified to have dense breasts on an otherwise negative screening mammogram.) [...] "While a majority of breast cancers that are found during annual breast cancer screening mammograms are in women over 50, women under 40 are generally too young to begin screening unless they have a mutation, a genetic reason or have physical symptoms, such as a mass or other breast changes," explains breast oncologist Andrea Silber, MD. [...] "Breast awareness entails knowing your family history of breast and other cancers," says Dr. Andrejeva-Wright, "It also means knowing any behavioral factors that may increase your risk of developing breast cancer, such as weight gain and alcohol consumption (more than one alcoholic drink per day), and doing something about it."