B.C. patients worry as breast cancer screening wait times climb

Over the course of her life, Marliese Dawson, now 51, has seen five family members get diagnosed with breast cancer. 

So since her mid-30s, Dawson has been diligent about undergoing breast cancer screening. Because she has dense breasts, which puts her at heightened risk, she undergoes alternating diagnostic mammograms and screening ultrasounds every six months on the advice of her family doctor and radiologist.

But her most recent attempt to book an appointment left Dawson concerned that a backlog of breast imaging appointments in B.C. will delay the screenings she's undergone for years. 

First, her diagnostic mammogram was delayed from October to December due to a lack of available appointments. When she called to book her screening ultrasound for June, she was told they could only book four months in advance. And when she called in the beginning of March, she was told the earliest available slot was December — a full year after her last screening.

"I was already behind there. So it seems like it's getting further and further," she said.

"I'd obviously like to keep on my schedule because the radiologist has recommended this as the best way to keep me safe. And I'm not able to do that."

Dawson isn't alone in her concerns. The B.C. Radiological Society and doctors who refer patients across the province say delays in booking and processing breast imaging are worsening, leaving patients navigating a complex system that is increasingly understaffed and underfunded. 

Brenda Farnquist, president of the Society and a practising radiologist at Kelowna General Hospital, said financial concerns, staff shortages and a growing demand for screening are pushing wait times for breast imaging in B.C.

"It's very anxiety-provoking. Can you imagine knowing you have a palpable abnormality in your breast and you can't get an imaging study? We know this is happening," she said.

"Patients are just besides themselves, and some of the places providing these services don't even have the human resources to deal with all the phone calls they get."

Checking for breast cancer can involve a number of different screening and diagnostic exams. The B.C. Cancer agency offers regular screening mammograms for women without breast concerns. Women whose mammograms show a lump or other abnormality can be sent for a diagnostic mammogram.

Women like Dawson, whose breasts show high density, putting them at increased risk for breast cancer, can be sent for a screening ultrasound, though only one clinic in Vancouver currently offers that service. 

Dedeshya Holowenko, a physician at Westcoast Women's Clinic in Vancouver, said her clinic has bumped up against increasingly long delays as staff work to book patients in for critical follow-up screenings. 

"I've had patients where I've done an exam, found a lump, and looking for a diagnostic mammogram having to phone three or four different locations to get a reasonable time because the first appointment that we're given is six months later, and this is with a palpable lump," she said.