Commentary|Videos|October 29, 2025

When Should Mammography Begin? Donna Plecha, MD, on Differing Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Name: When Should Mammography Begin? Donna Plecha, MD, on Differing Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
Uploaded: 2025-10-29T19:12:00.000Z
Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds
Description: When Should Mammography Begin? Donna Plecha, MD, on Differing Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Author(s)Sydney Jennings, Donna Plecha, MD

Fact checked by: Grace Halsey

Early breast cancer screening at age 40, especially with 3D mammograms, significantly improves survival rates and quality of life, according to Dr Plecha.

Screening recommendations for breast cancer vary among professional societies, creating confusion for both clinicians and patients. Dr Plecha outlines where the major guidelines—from NCCN, ACR, and USPSTF—align, emphasizing that starting annual mammography at age 40 remains the strategy most strongly supported by evidence for saving lives.

Enhance your clinical practice with the Patient Care newsletter, offering the latest evidence-based guidelines, diagnostic insights, and treatment strategies for primary care physicians.

Subscribe Now!

When Should Mammography Begin? Donna Plecha, MD, on Differing Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Newsletter

Related Content

Donna Plecha, MD: What PCPs Need to Know About the Dense Breast Notification Law

Initiating Menopausal Hormone Therapy in Primary Care: Where to Start, With Harvard's Caroline Mitchell, MD, MPH

Semaglutide 2.4 mg Improves Liver Health in Patients with MASH, Even at Low Levels of Weight Loss

Metformin May Be Effective Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation in Adults wtih Obesity and Without Diabetes

Digital Screening Tool Duo Shows Promise for ADRD Detection in Primary Care

Latest CME

PER Psych Summit: Integrating Shared Decision-Making Into Management Plans for Patients With Schizophrenia

Expert Perspectives on Technological Advances in Cataract Surgery

‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Fostering Effective Conversations in Practice to Create a Visible Impact for Patients Living with Genital Psoriasis

Unlocking the Future of Glioma Care: Integrating Recent Advances to Personalize Treatment

Virtual Tumor Board for the Onco-Nurse: Improving Outcomes in SCLC Treatment and AE Management

Clinical Consultations™: Addressing Elevated Phosphate Levels in Patients with END-STAGE Kidney Disease (ESKD)

Southern Florida Psychiatry Conference

Patient, Provider, and Caregiver Connection™: Pediatric Myasthenia Gravis—Current Treatment and Emerging Concepts

Expanding Treatment Options for Demodex Blepharitis: Patient-Centric Approaches to Therapy

PER® Liver Cancer Tumor Board: How Do Evolving Data for Immune-Based Strategies in Resectable and Unresectable HCC Impact Multidisciplinary Patient Management Today… and Tomorrow?

Community Practice Connections™: 6th Annual Precision Medicine Symposium – An Illustrated Tumor Board

Advances In: Managing Hyperphosphatemia in Chronic Kidney Disease – Bridging Treatment Gaps With Novel Therapies

Addressing Pivotal Updates in AML – Expert Perspectives on Individualizing Management for Special Populations

Expert Illustrations and Commentaries™: The Role of the Paracellular Pathway in the Management of Hyperphosphatemia in CKD

Burst CME™ Part 3: Initiating Early Intervention in Patients With Glaucoma Who Fail Pharmacological Therapy

Advances In™: Taking R/R B-Cell ALL Management to the Next Level With New CAR T Approval

(CME Credit) Community Practice Connections™: Applying Advances in Neovascular Retinal Disease - Expanding Treatment Intervals & Enhancing Outcomes

Innovations in MDS Care: Navigating New Treatment Paradigms, Breakthrough Therapies, and Emerging Clinical Evidence

Community Practice Connections™: Navigating Early-Stage HR+/HER2‒- Breast Cancer – Clinical Developments and Innovative Treatments

Burst CME™: Stratifying Therapy Sequencing for LGSOC and Evaluating the Unmet Needs of the Standard of Care

Interventional Glaucoma Treatment: Evolving Paradigms for Addressing Unmet Needs

Cases & Conversations™: Integrating Novel Approaches to Treatment in First-line ALK+ mNSCLC – Enhancing Patient Outcomes with Real World Multidisciplinary Strategies

Homing in on the Role of PSMA in Prostate Cancer – Harnessing the Power of Precision Medicine Through Imaging and Therapy to Individualize Treatment Plans

Transforming Treatment in Small Cell Lung Cancer: How Recent Trials Are Shaping Treatment Decision-Making and Future Therapies

Burst CME™: Understanding Novel Advances in LGSOC—A Focus on New Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Trials

(CME Track) Burst CME™ Part 1: Insights Into Glaucoma and the Need for Early Intervention

SimulatED™: Understanding the Role of Genetic Testing in Patient Selection for Anti-Amyloid Therapy

Beyond the Collarette: Empowering Patients in the Management of Demodex Blepharitis | Denver, CO

Interventional Glaucoma Treatment: Evolving Paradigms for Addressing Unmet Needs

Beyond the Collarette: Empowering Patients in the Management of Demodex Blepharitis | Houston, TX

Identifying and Treating CIDP in the Modern Era

Cases and Conversations™: Navigating the Complexities of Managing Myasthenia Gravis in Pediatric and Pregnant Patient Populations

Cases and Conversations™: Little Voices, Big Challenges – Comprehensive Care for Pediatric Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Burst CME™: Addressing Inadequate Response to Anti-TNF Therapy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

The Truth About Presbyopia Drops: Evidence-Based Cases and Myth-Busting Insights

Dermalorian™ Webinar: Shedding Light on Patient-Reported Outcomes to Assess Disease Severity in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

Breast Cancer Symposia in San Antonio

Community Practice Connections™: Cases and Conversations – Keeping Up with Novel Approaches to Managing ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

(COPE Credit) Community Practice Connections™: Applying Advances in Neovascular Retinal Disease - Expanding Treatment Intervals & Enhancing Outcomes

Burst CME™: How is the Newly Approved CAR T-Cell Therapy Impacting R/R B-Cell ALL Management?

(CME Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis in Focus – From Early Recognition to Strategic Intervention

(COPE Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis in Focus – From Early Recognition to Strategic Intervention

Addressing Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma: Forging a Path Towards Health Equity in Clinical Trials and Everyday Practice

(COPE Track) Leveraging Rho Kinase Inhibition in Glaucoma Management — How Can Novel Treatment Pathways Impact Patient Outcomes?

Where Do Biologics Fit Into the Management of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis?

Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Fall 2024 - Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for nAMD and DME

Burst CME™: Addressing Diagnostic Challenges and Identifying Targets for Treatment in LCNEC-L

Rounds with Dr Jabbour: Breaking Barriers in ALL Treatment

Community Practice Connections™: 21st Annual Meeting of the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Burst CME™: Advanced Diagnostic and Testing Approaches for Mutation-Targetable Management of NSCLC

Medical Crossfire®: Optimal Approaches to Evaluating and Addressing Pain in the Patient With Sickle Cell Disease

Community Practice Connections™: Community Oncologists’ Role in Selecting Optimal Oral SERD Treatment for HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

Collaborating Across the Continuum®: Identifying and Treating Epithelioid Sarcoma

Medical Crossfire®: Improving Survival in HR-Positive HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer – Advances in Selective Estrogen Receptor Targeting Therapies

How We Do It®: New Combinations Reshaping Treatment Decision-Making in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Medical Crossfire®: Bridging Expert Guidance and Evidence-Based Recommendations in the Ever-Evolving Treatment of MF, PV, and ET

From Barriers to Breakthroughs in Multiple Myeloma: How Trials Compare to the Real-World Management of Patients in Your Practice

Show Me the Data: How Do We Navigate the Latest Evidence on Novel Therapies and Trials Across GvHD Prophylaxis, Acute, and Chronic Care?

Show Me the Data™: Pushing CAR Ts Forward Across Lymphoid Malignancies…Accelerating Access in the Community and the Treatment Strategies for the Road Ahead

Medical Crossfire®: New Horizons in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia—How The Experts Apply New Evidence from AYA to Adult Scenarios

Navigating the Next Wave in BTK Inhibition Strategies: Maximizing Clinical Benefit in CLL and MCL, What’s Next in B-Cell Malignancies

Real Psychiatry 2026

2nd Annual Hawaii Cancer Conference

EnVision Summit

22nd Annual International Symposium on Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies®

30th Annual International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies®: Focus on Leukemias, Lymphomas, and Myeloma

43rd Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference®

Stabilize and Thrive: Prioritizing Patient Success Through Novel Therapeutic Management in Schizophrenia

Upstate New York Hematology & Hematologic Oncology Conference: A Review of the 67th ASH Annual Meeting

Collaborative Care Symposium

17th Annual International Symposium on Ovarian Cancer and Other Gynecologic Malignancies™