The U.S. may lower the breast cancer screening age to 40. Should Canada follow?

The U.S. health task force has suggested that women undergo breast cancer screening ten years earlier than the current most common mammogram recommendation.

A U.S. health task force is recommending women get screened for breast cancer 10 years earlier than the current mammogram recommendation, and experts in Canada believe the country should follow suit in order to save more lives.

The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force on Tuesday proposed that all women get screened every other year starting at age 40. That would be a change from current U.S. guidelines, advising screening to start at age 50.

The health panel said the move would save thousands of lives per year.

“We have been advocating for this in Canada for over 10 years,” said Dr. Jean Seely, head of breast imaging at the Ottawa Hospital. “The importance of women getting breast cancer in their 40s cannot be overstated.”

The number of women who are getting breast cancer in their 40s is increasing, which is one of the reasons the U.S. task force changes its guidelines, she said.

“New and more inclusive science about breast cancer in people younger than 50 has enabled us to expand our prior recommendation and encourage all women to get screened in their 40s,” the task force stated on its website.

In Canada, regular screening mammography is only recommended for patients between the ages of 50 and 74; but women in their 40s could be able to have a screening if they talk to their doctors. 

The requirement of a doctor’s referral for women aged 40-49 to undergo a mammogram could pose a challenge to receiving assistance, Seely said. She explained that a physician may be reluctant to provide the referral, or an individual may not have access to a family doctor.