breast cancer canada continues to pave the way for better screening guidelines
“what we're seeing is more and more patients being diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger and younger age, and that's been the trend now for quite a few years”
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toronto researchers found that women who have mammograms starting at age 40 were 40 per cent less likely to die of breast cancer than those who don’t have mammograms.
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increasing breast cancer screenings could save hundreds of lives every year in canada, experts say, and now there’s a move to make it happen.
the federal government recently announced plans to overhaul the task force on preventive health care, the panel that issues national guidelines for family doctors on when to send their patients for routine screenings and prevention measures for cancer and other diseases. the decision follows a comprehensive expert review and report to modernize the task force.
“it’s a landmark decision,” says breast cancer canada ceo kimberly carson. “i think this is phenomenal for canadians.” breast cancer canada’s advocacy urged the federal government to consider integrating patient experiences, engaging experts formally, and incorporating canadian data as breast cancer guidelines are developed at the national level. carson says those recommendations are being adopted, and the changes will bring the patient voice to the table. they are the ones fundamentally impacted by the guidelines.
breast cancer canada doesn’t do anything where there’s not a patient voice, she says. “even all of the calls for grants that we do [to fund research] they have to have a patient voice and not just tokenism. the patient has to understand what the outcome of the research is going to be and they have to be able to articulate it.”
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the task force on preventive health care was publicly criticized in may 2024 because it rejected expert recommendations to lower the age for breast cancer screening from 50 to 40—that’s followed by most guidelines around the globe. it’s also came under fire for making decisions with outdated research and being too slow to update its guidelines.
a number of provinces are already funding screening for women between the ages of 40 and 50, even though the task force upheld the status quo of breast cancer screening for women starting at age 50 and ending after age 74.
call for reforms includes better integration with provincial programs
next, the federal government will strike a committee to develop what the new task force should look like, aiming to establish the group in april 2026 to then start reviewing all the preventative health guidelines. another significant part of the recommended overhaul is establishing a pan-canadian coordination hub and better integration with provincial screening programs, quality councils, and implementation bodies. screening, treatments and public health coverage differ from province to province and many people face barriers to care.
“what we’re seeing is more and more patients being diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger and younger age, and that’s been the trend now for quite a few years,” says carson.
“we also know that if we can diagnose [breast cancer] quickly, the faster we get to it, the better the outcomes, the less costly it is for the patient, and the less costly it is for the healthcare system,” she says, explaining that early detection means less invasive treatment with people returning to the workforce much quicker and getting back to their lives and families.
“we also know that if we can diagnose [breast cancer] quickly, the faster we get to it, the better the outcomes, the less costly it is for the patient, and the less costly it is for the healthcare system,” she says, explaining that early detection means less invasive treatment with people returning to the workforce much quicker and getting back to their lives and families.
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while there’s government coverage for cancer patients, there’s still significant cost involved. “if you’re a single mom diagnosed with breast cancer and you have to pay all of this money and you’re not working, it’s challenging.”
early detection critical for best outcomes
early detection is clearly linked to better outcomes and mounting research shows lowering the age for routine screening will save lives. a 25-year follow up study published in bmj is often cited: toronto researchers found that women who have mammograms starting at age 40 were 40 per cent less likely to die of breast cancer than those who don’t have mammograms.
breast cancer canada, among other groups, also advocated for reviewing the guidelines in a more timely manner as the science and technology to move detection and treatment forward is evolving.
“you can’t wait eight or 10 years to review these guidelines because patients are being left behind,” carson says. timely review is another recommendation that will be incorporated.
“they’re calling it ‘living guidelines’ which means as new things come out, they will review their guidelines on an ongoing basis.”
being heard matters. breast cancer canada and the real canadian breast cancer alliance, a national coalition of breast cancer experts, say the report validates their calls to reform how health guidance is developed and delivered in canada. “it also affirms that advocacy works: the federal government listened to patients and advocates calling for change.”
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