How the screening guidelines changed: a dated timeline
The USPSTF reviews each recommendation every few years, and several screening ages have moved. Here is each current final recommendation with its date, what it replaced, and what changed, newest last. If a doctor told you something different a few years ago, this is often why.
The biggest changes
- Mammograms from 40, April 30, 2024 (was 50). (USPSTF, 2024)
- Colorectal screening from 45, May 18, 2021 (was 50). (USPSTF, 2021)
- Lung screening from 50 with 20 pack-years, March 9, 2021 (was 55 and 30 pack-years). (USPSTF, 2021)
- PSA as a personal choice at 55 to 69, May 8, 2018 (was "do not screen" for all men). (USPSTF, 2018)
- Cervical: a draft, not final. A draft posted December 10, 2024 would add self-collected HPV tests; the 2018 recommendation is still the final one. (USPSTF draft, 2024, not final)
Timeline of current recommendations
| Date | Screening | Before | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2018 | Prostate cancer (PSA) | 2012: recommended against routine PSA screening for all men (grade D). | Men 55 to 69: an individual decision (grade C). 70 and older: do not screen (grade D). (USPSTF, 2018) | From "no" for everyone to a personal choice at 55 to 69 |
| August 21, 2018 | Cervical cancer | 2012 recommendation. | Adds an HPV test alone every 5 years, from 30 to 65, as an alternative to a Pap test every 3 years. (USPSTF, 2018) | HPV test alone became an option |
| December 10, 2019 | Abdominal aortic aneurysm | 2014 recommendation. | Consistent with 2014: men 65 to 75 who have ever smoked (grade B). Family history was added as a factor for women. (USPSTF, 2019) | Mostly unchanged |
| March 2, 2020 | Hepatitis C | 2013: people at high risk, plus a one-time test for adults born 1945 to 1965. | All adults 18 to 79 (grade B). (USPSTF, 2020) | From a birth-year group to all adults 18 to 79 |
| March 9, 2021 | Lung cancer | 2013: yearly low-dose CT at 55 to 80 with a 30 pack-year history, smoking now or quit within 15 years. | Yearly low-dose CT at 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year history, smoking now or quit within 15 years (grade B). (USPSTF, 2021) | Start age 55 to 50; 30 to 20 pack-years |
| April 27, 2021 | High blood pressure | 2015 recommendation. | Reaffirmed: screen all adults 18 and older (grade A). (USPSTF, 2021) | Unchanged |
| May 18, 2021 | Colorectal cancer | 2016: screening from 50 to 75 (grade A); 76 to 85 an individual decision; stop after 85. | Adds 45 to 49 (grade B); 50 to 75 stays grade A; 76 to 85 still individual. (USPSTF, 2021) | Start age 50 to 45 |
| August 24, 2021 | Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes | 2015: adults 40 to 70 with overweight or obesity. | Adults 35 to 70 with overweight or obesity (grade B). (USPSTF, 2021) | Start age 40 to 35 |
| June 20, 2023 | Depression | 2016 recommendation on depression in adults. | Consistent with 2016: screen all adults (grade B). (USPSTF, 2023) | Unchanged |
| June 20, 2023 | Anxiety | No earlier recommendation. | Adults 64 and younger (grade B). (USPSTF, 2023) | New in 2023 |
| April 30, 2024 | Breast cancer | 2016: a mammogram every 2 years from 50 to 74; at 40 to 49 an individual decision. | A mammogram every 2 years from 40 to 74 (grade B). (USPSTF, 2024) | Start age 50 to 40 |
| January 14, 2025 | Osteoporosis | 2018: women 65 and older, and younger postmenopausal women at increased risk. | Generally consistent with 2018; notes that screening can include a DXA scan with or without a fracture risk tool (grade B). (USPSTF, 2025) | Mostly unchanged |
| December 10, 2024 | Cervical cancer (draft) | 2018 final recommendation, still in force. | Draft only: Pap every 3 years at 21 to 29, then an HPV test every 5 years at 30 to 65, collected by a clinician or by the patient. (USPSTF draft, 2024, not final) | Not final |
"Before" restates the "Update of Previous USPSTF Recommendation" section of each final statement. Other groups, such as the American Cancer Society, change on their own schedules and do not always agree; see cancer screening guidelines compared.
Why guidelines change
Each final statement says what new evidence moved it. For example, the USPSTF says its 2018 PSA change was based in part on longer follow-up of a large European trial, which increased its certainty that screening lowers the risk of dying of prostate cancer. (USPSTF, 2018) Grades and ages here apply to adults without symptoms at average risk; your doctor may advise otherwise.
Questions people ask
When did the mammogram age change to 40?
On April 30, 2024. The USPSTF final recommendation moved the start of a mammogram every 2 years from 50 to 40. Before that, from 2016, 40 to 49 was an individual decision. (USPSTF)
When did colorectal screening start at 45?
On May 18, 2021, when the USPSTF added 45 to 49 (grade B) to its 2016 recommendation of 50 to 75. (USPSTF)
When did lung screening change to 50 and 20 pack-years?
On March 9, 2021. The 2013 recommendation used 55 to 80 and 30 pack-years. (USPSTF)
Did the cervical screening guideline change in 2024?
Not yet in final form. A draft posted December 10, 2024 adds HPV tests you can collect yourself from 30 to 65. Until the USPSTF finalizes it, the August 21, 2018 recommendation stands. (USPSTF draft, 2024, not final) (USPSTF)