A woman can tell the mammography technician to decrease the pressure if it becomes too uncomfortable. Breast cancer can occur at any time. The American College of Radiology, the American Medical Society, and the American Cancer Society recommend that women aged 40 and older have a mammogram every year. When a woman has annual mammograms, her doctor can compare the x-rays from year to year. This makes it easier to find changes in the breasts and detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.
All women have an equal risk of getting breast cancer and dying from it.
There are differences in rates of detection and survival outcomes between women of different races. Although Caucasian women have a higher incidence of getting breast cancer, African American women with breast cancer are more likely to die from it. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 30-54. African American women die from breast cancer at twice the rate of white women. Background Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 American women, and the risk of breast cancer continues to increase as women age.