Canadian Women Failed “Old-fashioned” Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines: Report-National

Anies Light has fought breast cancer The last 8 years.

Since her diagnosis in April 2013, residents of Montreal have received 16 treatments: chemotherapy, bilateral mastectomy, total hysterectomy, and two reconstructive surgeries. She is currently in remission, but she still has two years of hormone therapy left.

It was a trial that could have been prevented if she had been previously diagnosed, says Slight.

“With proper screening in addition to mammograms, cancer would have been discovered at least a year and a half ago, so it’s a long time for cancer to progress,” said a 51-year-old special education worker. I told Global News.

Slight got his first mammogram at the age of 40, which became clear.But what she wasn’t told at that time was that she had Rich breastsNot only does this increase the risk of breast cancer in women, but it also makes it more difficult to detect cancer with standard mammograms.

The Slite case is not unique. New survey By a non-profit organization Dark chest canada Thirty percent of women who had mammograms showed that they were not informed about their breast cancer. This study was part of a report published on September 27, prior to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Currently in Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick Prince Edward Island – Adds density information to mammogram results. In the other five jurisdictions (Ontario, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Newfoundland and Labrador), radiologists only provide that information to women in the densest categories. ..

Nikola St. George, Ontario’s mother, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2019. A year and a half after the first mammogram, nothing was detected at that time. She was also unaware that she had tight breasts.

George decided to be screened again after finding a lump during a self-examination while lying in bed one night.

“I think women need to know that their breasts are dense because they need follow-up mammograms and self-examinations,” a 43-year-old high school teacher told Global News.

“It’s really my own luck to decide to do a self-diagnosis, find it, and stick to my instincts.”

Experts say that “contradictions” in breast screening practices put women at risk, and many are moving away from screening because of “obsolete guidelines.”

According to a Dense Breasts Canada survey involving 2,530 women, 42% of respondents were unaware of the age of mammography screening, which varies from state to state.

Dr. Paula Gordon, a mammary radiologist in Vancouver and a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia, ideally requires every woman to obtain a mammogram starting at age 40 each year.

“It’s not very common for young women to get breast cancer, but because breast cancer grows and spreads faster, we want to detect breast cancer early in young women.”

She also said that people with dense breasts should be provided with supplemental screening by either ultrasound or MRI.

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Dr. Jean Seeley, director of breast imaging at Ottawa Hospital, advised that high-risk women should be screened in their early thirties.

In Canada, only four jurisdictions, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon, have women in their 40s book their mammograms. Elsewhere, doctors’ requests are required, but there are concerns as many women are denied.

“Unfortunately, every week we probably hear from a woman who asks her healthcare provider to introduce her to a mammogram in her 40s and couldn’t get in because of the guidelines,” said Seely, president of the company. I did. Canadian Breast Imaging Society.

She told Global News that delays in diagnosis and the cause of women’s death from breast cancer are worrisome trends across the country.

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According to a survey, 11% of respondents between the ages of 40 and 49 said their health care provider refused to request a mammogram.

Canadian Task Force on Preventive HealthHas issued national guidance and conditionally recommends mammography screening for women aged 40-49 years who are not at high risk.

According to the guidelines updated in 2018, “If women in this age group want to be screened, they should discuss with their healthcare provider to determine if screening is best for them.”

There are no recommendations for screening over 74 years.

Apparently, this “accidentally reassures women that they don’t get breast cancer in their 40s or late 70s.”

“We found that women in these two age groups (40s and 70s and older) were diagnosed late.”

Gordon said the guidelines are based on older studies done 30 to 50 years ago and should take into account more recent data.

She pointed out a 2014 study published in National Cancer Center JournalWe found that people with mammograms from the age of 40, including 2.8 million Canadian women, were 40% less likely to die of breast cancer than women without mammograms.

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Gordon emphasized the great need for education of women and physicians on what optimal breast screening practices are.

“Women need to know that it’s okay to claim and defend what you need.”

There are also various myths about breast cancer and screening.

A common misconception is that women don’t have to worry if their family has no history of breast cancer. Both Gordon and Sealy dismissed the claim.

In fact, more than 75% of women with breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer. According to the National Breast Cancer Coalition..

Seely says that the future will require better communication and investment in more resources.

“Lost women’s lives affect not only women, but the entire community and families, so I think we really need to focus on this as a health care priority.

“So it’s a health care issue for all of us.”

Breast Cancer Signs and Self-Diagnosis Methods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKhIvufyji0

Canadian Cancer Society: 1-888-939-3333

Dark chest canada: 416-809-7976

Canada Breast Cancer Network: 1-800-685-8820

Canadian Breast Imaging Society: 778-883-4373

Mybreastscreening.ca