What interval is recommended for regular breast cancer screening in an average-risk older adult?

• A. Every year
• B. Every 3 years
• C. Every 5 years
• D. Every 10 years

Answer: (B)

Screening intervals are set to balance the potential benefit of finding cancer early with the harms of screening, such as false positives, unnecessary procedures, and anxiety, especially in people with other health issues. For an average-risk older adult, the chance that a cancer would become clinically relevant decreases with age and competing health concerns rise, so screening every year offers less additional mortality benefit compared with the risks and burden it creates. A longer interval helps reduce overdiagnosis and procedure-related harms while still allowing cancer to be detected at a treatable stage. Among the given options, a three-year interval provides a middle ground: it is more protective than extending screening to five or ten years, which could miss cancers that develop between longer gaps, but it avoids the higher harms and resource use associated with annual screening. As always, the interval should be individualized based on overall health, life expectancy, and patient preferences, following local guidelines.