We have never been more aware of breast cancer screening. Unfortunately, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest data shows that the participation rate in Quebec’s breast cancer screening program decreased by 29% in 2020 from the previous year.
Posted at 14:00
It is important to remember that this situation can have serious consequences when mammography is still the only screening test that can reduce the number of deaths attributable to breast cancer. For this reason, with the resumption of screening activities, recovery efforts are being made at all levels to encourage women between the ages of 50 and 70 to resume the habit of an annual screening appointment. But how can we do more?
The health crisis is not the only obstacle hindering screening. In fact, after more than 25 years of experience as a radiologist, I have heard a multitude of fears or false beliefs that still persist today and that threaten the health of many women. “It is extremely painful; at my age it is no longer necessary to have a mammogram; no one in my family has had breast cancer, so I don’t need it; my breasts are small, if I had a mass I would feel it ”.
Having survived breast cancer and having accompanied my father through this same disease when less than 1% of all these cancers affect men in the country, I know all too well that the efforts of prevention measures that have been implemented to date, as impressive as they are.
Sure, mammography has its limitations, but all in all it can reduce the number of deaths and, often, detect the disease quickly to avoid treatment with chemotherapy.
Women’s fears are legitimate and need to be addressed. This is why the Association des radiologistes du Québec created the Mammo.ca website.which allows them to get the facts about the myths and realities surrounding this exam.
In addition, new advances in the screening trajectory now reduce the wait between the initial examination and follow-up in the event of an abnormality being detected, which greatly contributes to reducing the anxiety patients may experience. kind of situation.
It is for these reasons that as Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, we would like to encourage ongoing dialogue about this disease, the options available to prevent it, and what concerns women at this important stage in their lives.
