Are the recommendations different for women who have a positive family history of breast cancer?
For women with a positive family history of breast cancer in a premenopausal first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter diagnosed before age 50), screening is suggested to begin ten years before the earliest breast cancer occurrence in the family, but not before age 25. Example: If a mother is diagnosed with cancer at age 45, then all daughters and younger sisters should start screening mammography at age 35. Currently, there is no information to suggest that screening intervals shorter than one year are beneficial, even in women who have a strong family history of breast cancer. Q: What is the appropriate exam for a patient under the age of 30 with a palpable lump? In general, young, pregnant, or lactating women with abnormal breast lumps should be evaluated with breast ultrasound as the first imaging study. Mammography is reserved for young patients when the ultrasound examination is inconclusive or suggests the presence of breast cancer. However, in young women with fatty br
