2024-09-24 20:59:37
Manitoba will lower the age for breast cancer screening from 50 to 40, with a goal of having it at 45 by the end of next year.
The government plans to gradually lower the age requirement for direct access applications from 50 to 40, with a view to setting it at 45 by the end of next year, according to a statement published on Tuesday.
The province will gradually accept younger patients who have self-administered screening, before eventually increasing the threshold to age 40, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a news release Tuesday.
Implementation is already underway, says Uzoma Asagwara. CancerCare Manitoba is responsible for hiring new mammography technologists and increasing the number of screening appointments for people aged 50 to 74.
The breast cancer screening programme will almost double in capacity to more than 80,000 mammograms per year and ensure that vulnerable people, especially marginalised and low-income women, can access the care they need, says Uzoma Asagwara.
Kathleen Cook, who is the health critic for the Progressive Conservative Party, points out in an email that her Conservative colleagues and I have been urging the NDP to take action on women’s health for months, in the legislature and in the media.
While she welcomes this first step, she believes that the vague promise to eventually lower the screening age to 40 is simply not enough given the waiting times for mammograms in the province.
The NDP must provide a step-by-step plan to address its lack of a strategy to attract technologists, radiologists and other health professionals to Manitoba. Women’s health cannot remain in limbo; we need concrete action and a strong, transparent plan to save the lives of Manitoba women, adds Kathleen Cook.
Breast cancer screening: a variable situation across Canada
According to Statistics Canada, there were more than 195,000 women aged 50 to 74 in Manitoba as of the 2021 census. CancerCare Manitoba advises women in this age group to have a mammogram every two years, without the need for a doctor’s referral.
The change comes after proposed new Canadian screening guidelines would allow women to request mammograms starting at age 40, but would not routinely give mammograms to those under 50.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, created by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which develops guidelines for health professionals, does not recommend regular screening for women under 50 who are at average risk.
In Manitoba, routine screening is not recommended for people under 50 or over 74.
Women aged 40 to 49 can self-register for breast cancer screening in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Yukon.
Ontario has announced it will allow breast cancer self-screening starting at age 40 this fall, and Saskatchewan is following suit with a phased approach that will take effect in January.
The Northwest Territories and Alberta have implemented systematic screening from the age of 45.
Early detection through screening in women aged 50 to 74 can reduce breast cancer mortality by 20 to 30 per cent, according to CancerCare Manitoba.
In Canada, one in eight Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
With information from Tessa Adamski
1727242670
#Manitoba #breast #cancer #screening #age
