Mammography Screening

Benefits and harms of screening mammography every 1 or 2 years for 10 years

Scroll down to find tables for every 1 or 2 year screening by age

  • The tables are for women at “average risk” of breast cancer
  • Per the US Preventive Services Task Force, average risk means:
  • No personal history of breast cancer
  • No previously diagnosed high-risk breast lesion
  • No known underlying genetic mutation, eg, BRCA1 or BRCA2
  • No history of chest radiation at a young age

Note: Detailed explanation of all methods are below (see fact check document, and calculations for fact check)

Steven Woloshin, MD, MS and H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH created the tables and hold the copyright.

Age 40: Annual Screening for 10 Years

Age 40: Every 2-year Screening for 10 Years

Age 50: Annual Screening for 10 Years

Age 50: Every 2-year Screening for 10 Years

Age 60: Annual Screening for 10 Years

Age 60: Every 2-year Screening for 10 Years

Fact Check Document

Calculations for Fact Check