Advocates call for changes to Manitoba’s breast cancer screening process

Breast cancer awareness advocates are calling for changes to Manitoba's breast cancer screening process, lowering the minimum age to request a mammogram from 50 to 40 years old.

"It frustrates me because I wish I would have gotten one when I was 35, maybe 41, 42," said Shannon Coates, age 42, who was diagnosed with breast cancer a little under a year ago.

By the time Coates turned 35, she started requesting a breast cancer screening from her physician.

Despite having a family history of breast cancer, Coates says she was routinely told she was too young to request a mammogram or ultrasound - the two primary tests for detecting breast cancer.

In Manitoba, regular screenings for breast cancer starts at 50.

Last August, Coates' physician agreed to her early request for a screening, and her results were positive.

"I found it, not the screening system, which is really frustrating," said Coates

Manitoba follows the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care's 2018 guideline on breast cancer screening, which recommends women over the age of 50 be able to request a mammogram.

However, several provinces, including British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, have modified their provincial guidelines to start screenings when women enter their 40s. In a few years, Saskatchewan will follow suit.

Coates wants Manitoba to do the same.

"Fifty, at that point, I would probably be a stage four and then cost more on our health-care system and possibly death," said Coates.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Canada.

According to data provided by CancerCare Manitoba, 100 individuals in their forties were recently diagnosed with breast cancer in the province.

CancerCare Manitoba follows the Canadian Preventive Task Force guidelines. These guidelines are informed by extensive research and are constantly reviewed and updated," Twylla Krueger with CancerCare Manitoba said in a statement to CTV News Winnipeg.

Oncologist Dr. Jean Seely says the Task Force relied on outdated and possibly even flawed data for their guidelines, and more recent studies suggest starting screenings earlier when women enter their 40s could be a change that saves lives.

"Women who are not screened in their 40s pay a penalty of much higher rates of stages two, three and four (cancer) where it's already spread to the body at the time of diagnosis," said Dr. Seely, head of the breast imaging section at the Ottawa Hospital.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force revised their own guidelines on May 9 suggesting women start breast cancer screenings at age 40.

"We know that when breast cancer is found and treated earlier, the chances for successful treatments are better," said Elizabeth Holmes, senior manager with the Canadian Cancer Society.

A referral from a doctor can get a women under 50 in Manitoba a breast cancer screening.

Coates wants all women in Manitoba to know and take action if there's any cause for concern.

"If your doctor doesn't listen to you, find another doctor and push to get those tests," said Coates. "Let them listen to you."