Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

October is #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth. UTSW Breast Imaging has adopted guidelines established by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI):

For average risk women:

• Annual screening mammography should begin at age 40.
• Recommendations to stop screening should be tailored to individual circumstances such as life expectancy, comorbidities, and the intention to seek (and ability to tolerate) treatment if a cancer is detected.

For women with increased risk due to inherited genetic predisposition (i.e. BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation) (and their untested first-degree relatives) or a calculated lifetime risk of 20% or more:

• Annual screening mammography (DM with or without DBT) should begin at age 30 or 10 years before the age of the youngest known cancer in their family.
• Annual breast MRI should begin at age 25-30.

For women with chest radiation therapy before age 30:

• Annual screening mammography (DM with or without DBT) should begin at age 25 or 8 years after radiation therapy, whichever is later.
• Annual breast MRI should begin at age 25-30.

Visit the Genetics and Hereditary Cancers webpage for more information about calculating a patient’s risk or call the Genetics and Hereditary Cancers Program (214-645-2563).