When can you stop screening?
Most cancer screenings have an age where the USPSTF stops recommending them, and some stop earlier for other reasons, such as past normal results or quitting smoking long ago. Here is each stopping point, what the conditions mean, and where other groups set it differently. Stopping is a decision to make with your doctor.
At a glance
| Screening | Recommended up to | After that (USPSTF) |
|---|---|---|
| Colorectal | 75 | 76 to 85: case by case (grade C) (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Breast (mammogram) | 74 | 75 and older: evidence insufficient (grade I) (USPSTF, 2024) |
| Cervical | 65 | Older than 65 with adequate prior screening and not at high risk: do not screen (grade D) (USPSTF, 2018) |
| Prostate (PSA) | 69, as an individual decision (grade C) | 70 and older: do not screen (grade D) (USPSTF, 2018) |
| Lung (low-dose CT) | 80 | Also stops after 15 years without smoking, or with a health problem that limits life expectancy or lung surgery (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Aortic aneurysm (men who have smoked) | 75 | A one-time ultrasound, not repeated (USPSTF, 2019) |
"Recommended up to" is where the USPSTF grade A or B (or, for PSA, grade C) range ends. Several other screenings, such as blood pressure and bone density for women, have no upper age; all of them are on screenings after 65.
Colorectal cancer: 75, then case by case
The USPSTF recommends screening from 45 to 75 (grade A at 50 to 75). From 76 to 85 it advises screening selectively, weighing your overall health, past screening and preferences (grade C). (USPSTF, 2021)
- The American Cancer Society says people in good health with a life expectancy of more than 10 years should continue through 75; at 76 to 85 the decision rests on preferences, life expectancy, overall health and past screening; people over 85 should no longer be screened. (ACS, 2026)
- The American College of Physicians says clinicians should stop screening average-risk adults older than 75, or those with a life expectancy of 10 years or less. (ACP, 2023)
Breast cancer: 74, then no clear answer
The USPSTF recommends a mammogram every 2 years from 40 to 74 (grade B). For women 75 or older it concludes the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms (grade I), which is neither a yes nor a no. (USPSTF, 2024)
- The American Cancer Society says screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and expected to live at least 10 more years. (ACS, 2026)
- ACOG says screening should continue until at least 75, and after 75 a woman and her clinician should decide together. (ACOG)
- The American College of Physicians says that from 75, or with a limited life expectancy, clinicians should discuss stopping, based on a woman's risk, values and preferences, and the uncertainty about benefits and harms. (ACP, 2026)
Cervical cancer: 65, if past screening was adequate
The USPSTF recommends against screening women older than 65 who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk (grade D). It says the decision to stop at 65 should be made only after confirming that past screening was adequate, because most invasive cervical cancers after 65 in one large registry study were in women who had not met the criteria for stopping. (USPSTF, 2018)
What "adequate prior screening" means
The USPSTF uses the definition from the joint ACS, ASCCP and ASCP guidelines: (USPSTF, 2018)
- 3 normal Pap (cytology) results in a row, or 2 normal cotest results (Pap and HPV together) in a row,
- within the 10 years before stopping,
- with the most recent test within the last 5 years.
It also notes those guidelines' advice that routine screening continue for at least 20 years after a high-grade precancerous lesion has regressed or been treated. (USPSTF, 2018)
- The American Cancer Society (December 2025) says you can stop at 65 if your last 2 HPV tests or cotests were normal, or your last 3 Pap tests were normal. If you are not sure when you were last screened, keep going after 65 until you have 2 normal HPV tests or 3 normal Pap tests in a row. (ACS, 2025)
- ACOG says you can stop after 65 if you have no history of moderate or severe abnormal cells or cervical cancer, have been screened regularly (a Pap test within 3 years or an HPV test or cotest within 5 years), and over the past 10 years had 3 negative Pap tests, 2 negative HPV tests or 2 negative cotests in a row. (ACOG)
The USPSTF grade D does not cover women at high risk, such as those with a past high-grade precancerous lesion or cervical cancer, exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth, or a weakened immune system (for example, living with HIV). It also says women who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix, and no history of a high-grade lesion or cervical cancer, do not need screening at any age. (USPSTF, 2018)
Prostate cancer: no PSA screening from 70
The USPSTF calls PSA screening at 55 to 69 an individual decision (grade C) and recommends against it for men 70 and older (grade D). (USPSTF, 2018) The American Cancer Society uses health rather than an age: men without symptoms who are expected to live less than 10 more years should not be offered screening, because they are unlikely to benefit. (ACS, 2023)
Lung cancer: 80, or 15 years after quitting
The USPSTF recommends a yearly low-dose CT scan from 50 to 80 for people with a 20 pack-year history who smoke now or quit within the past 15 years (grade B). Screening should stop once a person has not smoked for 15 years, or develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have lung surgery. (USPSTF, 2021) Check your history with the pack-year calculator.
The American Cancer Society also screens 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year history, but its criteria list people who smoke or used to smoke with no limit on how long ago they quit. It says people should not be screened if serious health problems are likely to limit how long they live, or if they would not be able or willing to have treatment. (ACS, 2024)
Aortic aneurysm: once
For men 65 to 75 who have ever smoked, the USPSTF recommends one ultrasound (grade B). It is a one-time test, so there is nothing to stop once it is done. (USPSTF, 2019)
Why screening stops
The common thread in these statements is time. Several groups tie stopping to health and life expectancy rather than age alone: the ACS for breast, colorectal and prostate screening, and the ACP for colorectal screening, use about 10 years as the line. (ACS, 2026) (ACS, 2026) (ACS, 2023) (ACP, 2023) So two people of the same age can get different advice. Only your doctor can weigh your health, past results and wishes.
Questions people ask
At what age can you stop getting mammograms?
The USPSTF recommends a mammogram every 2 years up to 74 and says the evidence is insufficient to weigh benefits and harms from 75 (grade I). The American Cancer Society says to continue as long as a woman is in good health and expected to live at least 10 more years. ACOG says to continue until at least 75, then decide with your clinician. (USPSTF, 2024) (ACS, 2026) (ACOG)
At what age do you stop getting colonoscopies?
The USPSTF grade A range ends at 75. From 76 to 85 it advises screening selectively, based on overall health, past screening and preferences (grade C). The American Cancer Society says people over 85 should no longer be screened; the ACP says to stop after 75. (USPSTF, 2021) (ACS, 2026) (ACP, 2023)
Can I stop Pap tests at 65?
Yes, if you have had adequate prior screening with normal results and are not at high risk, the USPSTF recommends against screening after 65 (grade D). If you are not sure your past tests count, ask before stopping. (USPSTF, 2018)
Is there an age limit for a PSA test?
The USPSTF recommends against PSA screening from 70 (grade D). The American Cancer Society says men expected to live less than 10 more years should not be offered screening. (USPSTF, 2018) (ACS, 2023)
When does lung cancer screening stop?
At 80 in the USPSTF recommendation, or earlier once you have not smoked for 15 years, or if a health problem substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have lung surgery. (USPSTF, 2021)