Mammography has been recommended since the age of 40, says the Ministry of Health

Mammography has been recommended since the age of 40, says the Ministry of Health


Measure aims to expand the early diagnosis of breast cancer


Summary

The Ministry of Health began to recommend mammographs for women from the age of 40, on request and has expanded the maximum age for monitoring from 69 to 74 years, aiming at greater early detection of breast cancer.




For the first time in Brazil, mammography is recommended “on request” for women aged 40 to 49. The measure was announced by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday 23, as part of a series of new recommendations. According to the wallet, change aims to expand the early diagnosis of the disease and can be adopted on the basis of the patient’s will and medical indication.

Until then, the recommendation was to take the exam only in women between 50 and 69 years, every two years, even in the absence of symptoms. “This age group focuses 23% of cases of illness and early diagnosis increases the possibilities of care,” said the ministry.

Another announced measure is the expansion of the age group for active monitoring. The maximum age, which was 69, will be up to 74 years. According to MS, almost 60% of cases of breast cancer occurs since the age of 50 and aging is one of the main risk factors.

Breast cancer is the most common and the largest number of killings in Brazil, with 37,000 cases per year. Only in 2024, the Unified Health System (Su) performed about 4 million mammograms, which is considered the main screening examination for the disease.

Source: Terra

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