WA women 9th in nation for breast cancer diagnoses, analysis finds

Washington women were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer despite receiving fewer mammograms than the national average in recent years, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.

About 137 women per 100,000 Washington residents were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2017 and 2021, the ninth-highest rate in the nation.

But only 64% of the state’s women ages 40 and older received mammograms from 2021 to 2022, putting Washington at the 10th-lowest screening rate in the country.

The latest guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of experts who make disease prevention recommendations, says that women at average risk for breast cancer should receive a mammogram every two years between the ages of 40 and 74. But that guidance didn’t come out until April 2024. Previously, the guidance said to start mammogram screenings at age 50.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/10/08/wa-women-9th-in-nation-for-breast-cancer-diagnoses-analysis-finds/