The guidelines recommend mammographic screening as an effective tool in detecting early-stage breast cancer. The typical recommendation, following the Australian National Breast Cancer Screening Program, suggests mammographic screening every two years for women aged 50-74.
Women aged between 40-49 and 75 and older are also eligible for free screening but are not actively invited to participate in the program, and the decision is usually individualized based on risk factors. For those with a strong family history or genetic predisposition, more frequent or earlier screening might be suggested.
It’s important to note that mammographic screening has both benefits (such as early detection) and potential harms (such as overdiagnosis and overtreatment), and these should be discussed as part of informed consent.
Clinical breast examination is not recommended as a routine screening tool in asymptomatic women.
Depending on which RACGP document you read, breast self-examination should be done every 3 months or has no evidence.
Unlike for colorectal cancer, there is no advice about 1st-degree and 2nd-degree relatives who had breast cancer at age < X years, but given the existence of BRCA1/BRCA2, logic dictates lots of relatives with breast cancer = more screening earlier +/- genetic testing.