opinion: canadians are ready for modern cancer screening guidelines

canada is falling behind on one of the clearest ways to help more people survive cancer: finding it early. national screening guidelines help primary care providers determine who should receive cancer screening, when and how. but too many of the guidelines are years out of date. cancer is the leading cause of death in canada and places enormous pressure on our health system. we cannot let outdated screening guidance stand between canadians and the chance to detect cancer earlier, improve outcomes and reduce the strain on our public healthcare resources.

the federal government’s relaunch of canada’s preventive health advisory body earlier this summer provides a fresh opportunity for change. now known as the national advisory committee on preventive health services, the group has a mandate to develop evidence-based guidelines on preventive care, including cancer screening. its first priority should be obvious: set a clear plan for timely review of canada’s outdated cancer screening guidance, with the expertise, transparency and urgency this issue requires.

this is not a technical policy debate. it is about whether people have the opportunity to benefit from screening grounded in current evidence. several of our national cancer screening guidelines have not been updated in a decade or more, even as research, technology and our understanding of cancer risk have advanced. with two in five canadians expected to be diagnosed with cancer, recommendations must reflect our best knowledge of how to save and improve those lives.

prostate cancer guidelines show what is at stake. the psa test is the first step in detecting prostate cancer, but canada’s guidance — last updated in 2014 — does not recommend its use for screening. over the past decade, evidence has evolved and guidance has not caught up. in ontario and british columbia, this outdated recommendation has real consequences. psa testing for people without symptoms is not publicly covered, even with a healthcare provider referral, leaving many to pay out of pocket. for someone who cannot afford the test, that can mean delaying or forgoing a step that could help start an important conversation about early detection of prostate cancer. for the healthcare system, it means finding more cancers later — when they are more difficult and more costly to treat.

this is the larger point: when national guidance falls out of step with evidence and real-world need, the consequences show up in people’s choices, costs and access to care. that is why the newly relaunched national advisory committee has been tasked with giving people affected by cancer a formal role in reviewing and developing screening recommendations. their perspectives must now meaningfully shape the work — not as a symbolic gesture, but as a way to ground the recommendations in lived experience.

to get this right, the committee will also need input fro cancer screening and public health experts, primary care providers, provincial and territorial health leaders and people with expertise in health equity. together, these voices can help ensure recommendations are not only scientifically sound, but practical and responsive to the needs of the people they are meant to serve.

we cannot wait years for this work to begin. canada must move quickly to complete a full review of cancer screening recommendations — one that includes prostate cancer alongside cervical, lung, colorectal and breast cancers. the science has moved forward. our national guidance should help canadians avoid the worst outcomes from cancer.

the canadian cancer society and movember are calling for action now. that’s why, last week, we published an open letterto the national advisory committee on preventive health services. our organizations bring different perspectives, but we share a common goal: helping more people live longer, healthier lives by making it easier to find cancer earlier, when treatment is more likely to work.

canadians deserve screening recommendations that are timely, trusted and built for today. with the national advisory committee on preventive health services now relaunched, canada has a chance — and a responsibility — to move faster, listen better and help more people benefit from cancer being found earlier.

andrea seale is the chief executive officer at the canadian cancer society and atiqa mohammad is implementation director of cancer programs at movember.