Breast cancer screening for women age 50 and older in Canada is widely accepted but a new study shows there is a higher chance of survival for women who live in a community where the screening age is lowered to 40.
The data shows cancer rates were higher for women aged 50 to 59 in provinces and territories where early screenings are not available.
"When I see women many of them tell me, 'I asked my family physician if I could get screened and they refused.' And then three years later, they're here presenting with a big lump," Dr. Seely told CTVNews.ca in an interview. "I find that very, very difficult to be able to accept and this happens so regularly."Many communities across Canada do not have programs aimed at routine early breast cancer screenings.
Not only are some women discouraged from doing early testing, screenings in many provinces are only accessible through a doctor."If you don't have access to a family physician you can't get a screening mammogram in your 40s," Seely said. "Whereas if you're in your 50s and 60s and 70s, you can self-refer to a screening program."
Other reasons why screening for people in their 40s is debated include the risk of false positives, benign biopsies and overdiagnosis. In 2020, it accounted for 10.5 per cent of all deaths of women in their 40s, second to only accidental deaths at 11.5 per cent, the study reads. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women in their 50s in 2020, greater than heart disease .
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