Recommended age for mammograms lowers amid increase in cancer rates

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Health guidelines are changing to help curb the growing number of young women being diagnosed with breast cancer.

For decades, it was recommended the age to start getting regular mammograms was 50 years old. That recommendation was lowered to 40 this week.

Health officials hope this change could save nearly 20-percent more lives. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer for women, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

Breast cancer mortality has been in steady decline for the last three decades.