Province to lower breast-cancer screening to age 40 by 2026

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The province says it will lower the age for breast-cancer screening to 40 by December 2026 but the union representing technologists who perform the scans says there aren’t enough of them to meet the increased demand.

“We want more women in our province to hear those four important words: ‘You are cancer-free,’” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said at a hastily called news conference at the Manitoba Legislative Building late Thursday morning.

On the same day, a Progressive Conservative private member’s bill calling for the government to lower the age for breast-cancer screening self-referrals from 50 to 40 by the end of 2026 received second reading.

The health minister said the decision to lower the age to 40 had nothing to do with the PC bill and that it had been in the works for months.

“We’ve previously already committed to lowering the age to 45 by the end of next year,” said Asagwara, who made the announcement on Sept. 24. The health minister noted then more staff and resources are needed.

“As we lower the screening age in Manitoba, it’s critical that the system has what it needs to meet a higher demand,” Asagwara said.

Manitoba will need to double the 40,000 mammograms performed every year to to meet the increased demand expected with next year’s reduction to age 45. CancerCare Manitoba has been working with health system partners to hire more mammography technologists and increase screening appointments for people aged 50 to 74, the government said.

“This is a really aggressive timeline to get to 40, but we know that this is an important timeline for women across this province,” Asagwara said.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers), according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It is the second-leading cause of death from cancer in Canadian women.

Asagwara applauded the advocacy of those who have been pushing for expanded breast-cancer screening, saying services were decreased by the former PC government.

An additional 13 mammography technologists will be required to meet the increased demand by the end of 2025. Forty more will be needed by the end of 2026, the minister said.

“If they’re doubling the number of tests and we are already facing a 40 per cent vacancy rate, we probably need to triple our staffing,” said Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, which represents mammogram technologists.

The union is glad the province is stepping up screening but not optimistic the required level of staffing will be achieved, he said.

“Breast-cancer screening saves lives and we are very pleased to see Manitoba following the expert advice and lowering the age like the other provinces have done,” Linklater said.

The province currently has 12 equivalent-to-full-time mammogram technologists, he said. As of Sept. 24, 40 per cent of positions were vacant.

“Recruitment and training are at the core of solving the staffing crisis that we all acknowledge exists in Manitoba and nationally, for sure,” he said. “Currently in Manitoba, there’s no plan being reported to the public or stakeholders like us that can assist in this process.”

Tory health critic Kathleen Cook declared victory for Manitoba women, saying their advocacy prompted her private member’s bill that pushed the government to commit to lowering the age to 40. The bill would also require the health minister to report annually on the status of the plan.

“This bill adds accountability to the process by requiring the minister to report on progress and the number of mammograms performed each year,” Cook told reporters after question period. The member for Roblin said the majority NDP should allow her bill to proceed to the committee stage for public input.

“If they are in fact doing the work to lower the breast cancer screening age, then this additional transparency and accountability to Manitoba women should be no problem at all.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca