Objective: Breast cancer is an important health problem for women 40-49 years old, yet screening mammography for this age group remains controversial. This article reviews recent guidelines and supporting evidence on screening mammography in women of this age group.
Conclusion: Evidence supports the benefit of annual screening mammography in women 40-49 years old. Models of different breast cancer screening strategies consistently show the greatest breast cancer mortality reduction and life-years gained with annual screening starting when women reach 40 years old.
Keywords: mammography; risk; screening.