Global Courant 2023-05-10 07:03:39
An influential US health panel is recommending that mammograms begin 10 years earlier than the current recommendation, a move that a number of Canadian doctors and breast cancer survivors have also been calling for for years.
The US Preventive Services Task Force has released a draft guideline on Tuesday calling for biennial breast cancer screenings to begin at age 40. Currently, national guidelines on both sides of the border recommend screenings to begin at age 50.
In Canada, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death. But for many Canadian women in their 40s, mammograms are often a request, not a recommendation.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Care – the independent expert panel of the Public Health Agency of Canada – currently recommends mammograms every two to three years for women ages 50 to 74.
For women aged 40 to 49, the task force advises against mammograms unless they have an increased risk of breast cancer.
“The balance between benefits and harms is less favorable for women of this age than for older women,” the task force says on its website.
But groups like Dense Breasts Canada have petitioned the federal health minister to begin routine mammogram testing at age 40, when the cancer is often more aggressive. Some provinces are already doing routine breast cancer screening at age 40, such as BC, PEI and Nova Scotia.
Many survivors and experts say screening guidelines in Canada are outdated and need to be changed.
“In my practice I see women in their 40s who say, ‘I asked to be screened’ and they say their GP says, ‘No you can’t, it doesn’t meet the guidelines’.” Dr. Jean Seely, chief of breast imaging at Ottawa General Hospital, told CTV National News. “And that’s why we need to update these guidelines, because it harms patients and some people die from these guidelines.”
Sherry Wilcox was 44 years old when she found a small lump in her breast, and part of her struggle was simply getting diagnosed. Her GP said she was too young for a mammogram and referred her to an ultrasound clinic instead.
“When we got the results back, it showed something abnormal. They didn’t seem too concerned, but they told me to come back in 16 weeks to confirm. And I think at that point I said, ‘That’s not good enough “I want a mammogram,” Wilcox told CTV National News.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Care’s guidelines are reviewed every five years and will be re-evaluated this year.
“I really had to fight for that mammogram and I thank myself every day for advocating for myself in that way. But I can’t help but think of others who may not be as confident in their self-defense,” said Wilcox.
