Doctor explains why mammograms should start at age 40
CBSN
Breast cancer screenings for women at average risk should be done every other year beginning at age 40, according to finalized guidance released Tuesday from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of national experts.
This means mammograms should start 10 years earlier than previously recommended. Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, explains the change comes after a couple concerning trends.
"We've seen an increase in breast cancer in women at a younger age, so about 10% of breast cancers are in women under the age of 45," Gounder said Wednesday on "CBS Mornings." "In addition, Black women in particular we're seeing younger ages at diagnosis of breast cancer, more aggressive breast cancer in Black women, and they're 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. So really more aggressive breast cancer screening guidelines we're hoping will help address some of these issues."
Scientists say they've discovered the world's biggest coral, so huge it was mistaken for a shipwreck
Scientists say they have found the world's largest coral near the Pacific's Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a major discovery "pulsing with life and color." The coral is so immense that researchers sailing the crystal waters of the Solomon archipelago initially thought they'd stumbled across a hulking shipwreck.