At what age can I stop getting mammograms?

When to Stop Mammography Screening

There is no specific age to stop mammography screening—continue annual mammograms as long as you remain in overall good health with a life expectancy greater than 10 years and are willing to undergo follow-up testing if abnormalities are found. 1

Key Decision Framework

Base Your Decision on Health Status, Not Age Alone

• Life expectancy and comorbidities should guide the decision to stop screening, not chronological age. 1

• Mortality benefits from mammography require several years to be fully realized, so screening only benefits women who are likely to live long enough to experience those benefits. 1

• Women with moderate to severe comorbid conditions (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, COPD, chronic renal failure, dementia, congestive heart failure) that negatively affect life expectancy are unlikely to benefit from continued screening. 1

Evidence by Age Group

Ages 70-74:

• Observational studies suggest continued benefit from screening in this age group for women in good health. 1
• The estimated benefit is approximately 13 fewer breast cancer deaths per 10,000 women screened over 10 years. 2
• Clinical trial data for this age range are inconclusive, as randomized trials did not enroll women over age 74. 1

Age 75 and Older:

• Women age 75+ may continue to benefit from biennial screening if they have no or low comorbidity and life expectancy exceeds 10 years. 1
• However, one large observational study found no substantial reduction in 8-year breast cancer mortality for women aged 75-84 who continued annual screening compared to those who stopped. 3
• The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states there is insufficient evidence to assess benefits and harms in women 75 years or older. 1

Practical Assessment of Life Expectancy

Use the 10-year life expectancy threshold as your guide:

• Women with less than 10 years of estimated life expectancy should generally stop screening, as potential harms outweigh benefits. 4

• For women with greater than 10 years life expectancy, the decision becomes a value judgment weighing potential benefits against harms. 4

• Consider using validated life expectancy calculators that incorporate age, functional status, and comorbidities to guide discussions. 4

Important Considerations

Potential Harms Increase with Age:

• Overdiagnosis (detecting cancers that would never become clinically apparent) increases with age at screening. 1
• Over 10 years of continued screening, approximately 200 per 1,000 women will experience false-positive mammograms, and 13 per 1,000 will experience overdiagnosis. 4

Screening Frequency After Age 70:

• If continuing screening, biennial (every 2 years) rather than annual mammography provides a reasonable balance of benefits and harms for most older women. 1, 5
• Annual screening in women over 75 has not demonstrated substantial mortality benefit compared to stopping. 3

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Don't use age 74 as an automatic cutoff—this arbitrary threshold from clinical trials does not reflect individual health status. 1

• Don't continue screening in women with severe comorbidities or limited life expectancy—the harms will outweigh any potential benefit. 1, 4

• Don't assume all healthy older women should continue indefinitely—even in healthy women over 75, the evidence for continued benefit is limited. 3