Today, breast cancer screening by mammography concerns women aged 50 to 74. But it could be advanced.
- Women aged 50 to 74 are invited to make a mammography every two years to detect a possible breast cancer.
- However, 14 % of cases concern women between 40 and 50 years old.
- Screening could start from 40 years in the future.
Should we detect breast cancer earlier? This question is the subject of an assessment of the High Authority for Health. In France, screening is recommended to women aged 50 to 74, and carried out every two years. However, in 2023, 14 % of new cases of breast cancer concerned women aged 40 to 50.
Breast cancer: HAS assesses the interest of early screening
At the end of January, the Directorate General of Health seized the High Authority for Health to assess the interest of advancing control mammograms to offer them to women under the age of 50. In an interview with France Infothe Minister of Health Yannick Neuder, announced that the government “will quickly propose to be able to extend and intensify screening campaigns to particularly target populations at risk and to reduce the age stratum to be able to get these cancers earlier which can be healed when you detect them as soon as possible”. According to a report by France 2broadcast on February 10, the High Authority for Health would be favorable to the advancement of the first mammography: the exam could be offered to women in their forties.
Mammography: What are the risks of these breast cancer screening exams?
But health professionals are divided. On BfmtvCorine Balleyguier, radiologist and head of the Department of Medical Imaginery at the Gustave Roussy Institute considers that a progress of age is not “necessarily a good idea “. “”We all have in his entourage of young women who have had cancers, so I understand that it is particularly marked, especially since their number is up … but overall 80 % of breast cancers arrive after 50 years so those which are triggered before do not represent the majority “develops the specialist. It mainly points to the risks linked to this invasive gesture, in terms of stress in particular and exposure to X -rays, but also to detect false positives.
Breast cancer: better preventing disease in young women
On HereAnne-Vincent Salomon considers that the subject must be discussed, because of this increase in cases of breast cancer in young women. “”More than 61,000 women per year develop breast cancer in France, she recalls. Among them, 5,000 are under 40. There is therefore a real question of how to better prevent and better detect these cancers that occur in younger women. ” Since 2022, the European Commission recommends carrying out breast cancer screening from 45 years old.
