Quebec study to determine if breast cancer screening should begin at 40 expected this summer
Posted March 10, 2025 4:33 pm.
Last Updated March 10, 2025 4:35 pm.
We should know this summer whether Quebec will open breast cancer screening to women aged 40 to 49. For now, the Quebec breast cancer screening program is only for patients aged 50 to 74.
Health Minister Christian Dubé has already shown himself open to expanding access to breast cancer screening. For about a year, Quebec women have had access up to age 74, whereas previously the program stopped at age 69.
Dubé has given the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) the mandate to evaluate the potential expansion of breast cancer screening starting at age 40. If the minister goes ahead, women in their 40s would receive a letter inviting them to have a mammogram, usually every two years.
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During a panel organized Monday by the Fédération des médecins spécialisé du Québec (FMSQ) on breast cancer, radiologist Dr. Caroline Samson indicated that mortality data prove the benefits of screening before the age of 50.
In Canada, for every 1,000 patients screened, seven lives will be saved if screening is done between the ages of 50 and 69. If screening is also done between the ages of 40 and 49, nine lives will be saved. “So we have demonstrated an impact on mortality, it’s major,” said the doctor.
“The minister (Dubé) has spoken out in favour of screening for those aged 40 to 49, but we are waiting for the final study from INESSS, which was promised to us for this summer. “We expect a favourable opinion,” said Dr. Samson.
Several experts want earlier screening in Quebec, but this measure raises issues of accessibility to mammography. The health network must be able to meet the demand that would inevitably increase with an expansion of access to this examination. Currently, waiting times are uneven across Quebec regions. Some patients sometimes have to wait several months before being able to have a mammogram.
We do not know if INESSS will recommend screening at age 40. It could be a little later, starting at age 45, for example. “We are in the details, but it is imminent that in Quebec, screening on a larger scale will be offered to 40- to 49-year-olds,” estimated Samson.
Elsewhere in Canada, Ontario and New Brunswick publicly fund mammograms for women ages 40 to 49, while Alberta funds them starting at age 45. British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Yukon also offer screening starting at age 40. Manitoba plans to lower the minimum age to 40 by December 2026.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Canadian women. An estimated one-in-eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. One-in-six cancers is detected in women under age 50, according to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
