At what age (and what frequency) should a mammogram be performed?

According to the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), one in 8 women will be confronted with breast cancer during her lifetime. And the first risk factor is age. 80% of breast cancers occur after the age of 50. This is why since 2004, the Health Insurance has offered all women between 50 and 74 years oldsupported screening every two years. All the women concerned receive a letter and can go to the X-ray center from a list. This organized and free screening had positive effects since it reduced mortality by around 20%.

“This examination carried out every two years makes it possible to detect cancer at an early stage”, specifies Doctor Joëlle Robion, gynecologist. But apart from this frequency in this age group, what about the others?

In which cases should a mammogram be performed before the age of 50?

Before the age of 50, the interest of a mammogram remains limited. “In young women, X-rays are more difficult to pass because the breast tissue is very dense. So an ultrasound is preferable because it will give more information on the mammary gland. Between the ages of 25 and 40, a clinical examination of the breasts of type palpation is recommended every year by his gynecologist”, adds the specialist.

Before the age of 40, mammograms are only prescribed in two cases. First in case of symptoms, but it is an ultrasound which is carried out in priority, and the mammography will complete the diagnosis if necessary. A discharge from the nipple, redness under the skin, a lump in the breast can justify the prescription of this examination. Then there is the case of so-called at-risk patients. That is to say those who have a history of breast or ovarian cancer in the family (aunt, mother, sisters, etc.). Or those who have already had cancer or a pre-cancerous lesion. In these cases, we can prescribe a mammogram every year.

Thanks to Doctor Joëlle Robion, gynecologist in Seine et Marne.

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