Alberta lowers recommended age for breast cancer screening

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is lowering the recommended age for people to get checked for breast cancer from 50 to 45.

The decision came after changes to clinical practice guidelines by the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) Committee.

“More evidence has become available to show net benefits of breast cancer screening at a younger age,” committee co-chair Dr. Huiming Yang said. “That is why the breast cancer screening guidelines now recommend including average-risk women aged 45 to 49 into biennial screening. We hope this will help to diagnose breast cancer earlier and, in turn, help save lives.”

AHS says Alberta is the first province in the country to lower the recommended age, meaning more people will have access to routine screenings every two years.

“Early detection and treatment give people with cancer the best chance to survive this disease. Alberta is leading the country by making breast cancer screening available to more women, at a younger age, saving lives in the process,” said Health Minister Jason Copping.

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Lowering the recommended age means about 12,000 more screening mammograms can be performed each year. AHS says the most recent data shows “more than 240 Alberta women between the ages of 45 and 49 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.”

Committee co-chair Dr. Lisa Stevenson says healthcare providers are encouraged to start recommending screening mammograms.

“By being more proactive in our screening efforts, we can make a real difference in the lives of Albertans,” she said.

It’s generally recommended that women between the ages of 45 and 74 get checked for breast cancer every two years. In some cases, your doctor may advise differently.

AHS says the earlier breast cancer is discovered, the better chances you’ll have in treatment.