Starting today, women aged 40 in Ontario can book an appointment for a breast X-ray without needing a referral from a doctor.

Ontario's Health Minister, Sylvia Jones, announced last year that the province would lower the age at which women can self-refer to the breast cancer screening program from 50 to 40 years old.

Eligible individuals can now contact any of the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) centers to make an appointment. A list of centers is available on the Ontario Ministry of Health website.

The government of Canada's ten most populous provinces (approximately 16.12 million residents) states that it has spent nearly $20 million to increase the number of appointments and to train additional staff.

The government estimates that among one million women aged 40 to 49 who can now self-register for a breast X-ray, about 305,000 women will undergo screening.

It is noted that individuals aged 30 to 69 who are considered to be at high risk of breast cancer, such as women with a family history of breast cancer or those carrying specific genes that increase the risk of breast cancer, have been able since before today

to regularly undergo breast X-rays and breast MRI in Ontario.

Quebec: Mammography starting at age 50

In Quebec, the second largest province by population (approximately 9.06 million residents), mammography is available without a prescription once every two years for women aged 50 to 74 under the Quebec Breast Cancer Screening Program (PQDCS).

Previously, the program targeted women aged 50 to 69 only.

The Quebec government is also considering expanding the program’s eligibility by lowering the age to 40.

It is mentioned that the Canadian Cancer Society estimated in May 2022 that one in eight Canadian women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and that one in 34 Canadian women will die from it.