opinion: more cancer screening means little without more awareness
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the breast cancer death rate has decreased by over 45 per cent since the early 1990s, which is largely attributed to a combination of increased screening and the use of more effective treatments after diagnosis.
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if i asked you to think of someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, who comes to mind? chances are, it’s not a woman in her early 40s. for decades, the conversation around breast cancer has focused on women 50 and older. what you might not know is that for years, younger women have been expressing concerns that they are falling through the cracks.
the evidence tells us two important truths. one, about 13 per cent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed between ages 40-49. two, early detection can save lives. when found early, many women survive breast cancer, with a nearly 100 per cent five-year relative survival rate for those diagnosed at stage 1. sadly, the survival rate drops to 23 per cent for women diagnosed at stage 4.
last year, several provinces worked quickly to begin addressing the gap, responding to an international shift in screening guidelines that is grounded in emerging evidence and supported by the powerful voices of women with personal experience of cancer at younger ages.
these first steps included expanding access to breast cancer screening by lowering the minimum age of eligibility for regular mammograms. in some provinces, self-referral now begins at age 40, while others have adopted phased approaches or different age thresholds. expanding age eligibility criteria is critical to catching breast cancer early when treatment is more likely to be successful.
breast cancer screening saves lives. the breast cancer death rate has decreased by over 45 per cent since the early 1990s, which is largely attributed to a combination of increased screening and the use of more effective treatments after diagnosis. but early detection depends on two things: knowing that you’re eligible and the ability to get screened.
in october 2025, for breast cancer awareness month, the canadian cancer society partnered with leger healthcare to see how much the public and healthcare professionals were aware of these changes in eligibility. according to our survey, two-thirds of women in canada do not know the starting age of eligibility for breast cancer screening in their province. and only 65 per cent of general practitioners know the minimum age. these numbers tell us that the work of building awareness, both among women—1 in 8 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime—and frontline healthcare providers, is vitally important.
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along with increasing awareness, we must ensure the healthcare system is ready to welcome more people to be screened for breast cancer. that means investing in the resources and infrastructure necessary to accommodate more screening. it also means equipping healthcare providers with the tools and information they need to confidently guide patients through these changes.
informing these new age groups that they are now eligible for mammograms doesn’t happen overnight—it is a long-term effort. the policy changes are still new, and with different eligibility criteria and notification strategies across provinces and territories, unfamiliarity is understandable.
together, governments, healthcare institutions and advocacy groups can keep the momentum going. screening has played an enormous role in making breast cancer one of the more survivable cancers. policy changes set progress in motion—but awareness and continued investment will deliver on the life-saving promise of early detection.
to learn more about eligibility in your province visit cancer.ca.
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