LAKELAND – In Alberta, women between the age of 45 to 50 will be recommended to start regular breast cancer screening based on the new evidence being reviewed.
Women aged 45 to 50 are considered average-risk of developing the disease.
The decision to lower the age of recommended biennial (every two years) mammogram screenings for breast cancer was made by Alberta Health Services (AHS) and announced on Oct. 18, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Alberta is the first province in Canada to make these changes to screening guidelines, expanding routine screenings to more people.
According to AHS, the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Clinical Practice Guideline Committee completed an extensive review of the latest available evidence resulting in the updated screening guidelines.
“More evidence has become available to show net benefits of breast cancer screening at a younger age,” says committee co-chair Dr. Huiming Yang.
“That is why the breast cancer screening guidelines now recommend including average-risk women aged 45 to 49 into biennial screening. We hope this will help to diagnose breast cancer earlier and, in turn, help save lives.”
The Clinical Practice Guideline Committee is comprised of 12 voting members, including family and public health physicians, radiologists, as well as a patient, surgeon, medical oncologist, radiological technician and nurse.
It is estimated that about one in eight Canadian women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and one in 34 will die from it, this is according to 2022 projections released by the Canadian Cancer Society.
As a result of changed guidelines, about 12,000 more screening mammograms could be performed in the province each year for women aged 45 to 49. This figure is based on current provincial screening rates provided by the Alberta government.
In 2018, more than 240 Alberta women between the ages of 45 and 49 were diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the province.
“Early detection and treatment give people with cancer the best chance to survive this disease. Alberta is leading the country by making breast cancer screening available to more women, at a younger age, saving lives in the process,” says Health Minister Jason Copping.
Moving forward, Alberta woman ages 45 to 74 are advised to have a screening mammogram every two years or as decided in conjunction with a healthcare provider.
“By being more proactive in our screening efforts, we can make a real difference in the lives of Albertans,” says Dr. Lisa Stevenson, a committee co-chair for the Clinical Practice Guideline Committee.
Breast cancer is currently the second leading cause of death from cancer in Canadian women.
“The breast cancer death rate peaked in 1986 and has been declining since. This reduction in death rates likely reflects the impact of screening and improvements in treatment for breast cancer,” states the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.
Screening remains the best way to detect breast cancer early before symptoms may appear and when treatment may work better.
The updated guidelines are available on screeningforlife.ca.