General breast cancer screening guidelines typically begin at which age range?

• A. 20-30
• B. 40-50
• C. 60-70
• D. 70-80

Answer: (B)

Screening mammography aims to detect breast cancer early when treatment is most effective, but starting too early can lead to unnecessary tests and harms. For average‑risk women, the incidence of breast cancer rises enough in the 40s to justify beginning routine screening there, with many guidelines using this as the starting window. That makes the 40–50 range the typical starting point. Beginning in the 20s–30s would expose many women to unnecessary screening given the very low cancer risk then, while starting in the 60s or 70s would miss cancers that could have been found earlier and treated more effectively. So the common starting age range is in the 40s, around 40–50.