A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital found that provinces with early breast cancer screening programs were associated with increased patient survival rates.

Dr. Jan Celli, Head of the Breast Imaging Department at Ottawa Hospital and a Professor of Radiology, said during a television program yesterday that new data shows that people living in provinces and territories with breast cancer screening programs for women aged 40 to 49 have a reduced risk of death.
Celli added, "What is happening in Canada is that we have different regional jurisdictions regarding health, so each province and territory has a slightly different experience when it comes to starting breast cancer screening for women."

Celli explained that some provinces, including British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta, have offered annual screening programs for women in their forties for over 20 years, but other provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec, only began screening women in their fifties as part of their annual breast cancer screening programs.

According to data from Statistics Canada, Celli said that their team was able to track breast cancer across the country and found that once women live in a province that offers breast cancer screening programs aimed at those in their forties, there is a significant improvement in survival.

She added, "It really showed the impact of improved survival through screening, so this is really good news and will encourage other provinces that do not offer screening for women in their forties to start doing the same."

According to Celli, 80 percent of women with breast cancer have no family history, and she advises women to be proactive in screening regardless of whether family members have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

While the risk of breast cancer significantly increases for women in their forties and continues to rise with age, Celli suggested annual screenings even for asymptomatic women.

She said, "It's a 15-minute process and you don't need to have any symptoms of breast cancer to get a mammogram, so you should go for screening before any symptoms appear."

Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump(s) in the breast or armpit, changes in the nipple, including bloody or watery discharge, and new focal pain. However, most women with breast cancer do not experience symptoms while the cancer is still in its early stages.

Celli suggested that women exercise, sleep, eat properly, and reduce alcohol consumption, which increases the risk of cancer when consuming more than two drinks per week.

She clarified, "We don't know enough about the causes of breast cancer to know how to prevent it, so getting a mammogram doesn't prevent it but helps us diagnose it at an earlier stage."

Celli explained that being diagnosed with breast cancer at stage one is associated with a 100 percent five-year survival rate. If it progresses to form a lump, the survival rate drops to 76 percent at stage 3, and if it spreads to the rest of the body, the survival rate is 26 percent.

She added that with early diagnosis, breast cancer patients are less likely to need chemotherapy or major surgery where the entire breast is removed.

Celli concluded, "It's just one of those things that can really make a big difference in your overall health. While it may be a bit uncomfortable, very few women experience pain (during the mammogram), and it can be reassuring when the results come back normal."

An estimated seven out of every 100 women screened in Canada will have an abnormal recall, requiring additional imaging. But Celli added that there is no cause for concern for about 80 percent of those recalled.