Sask. women 45+ can now self-refer for breast screening mammograms. But do they know that?

Saskatchewan women age 45 and older tin present self-refer for screening mammograms without a doctor's requisition arsenic portion of a phased strategy to gradually little the property for screening to 40 by June 2026. The latest property driblet went into effect connected June 30. 

Experts, advocates and survivors person been waiting for this change, but they are worried the state is not doing capable to fto women successful their mid-forties cognize they present qualify.

Mandy Kasper, a cancer subsister and provincial manager of Saskatchewan for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, tells CBC the provincial government needs to ramp up connection astir the property drop. 

"It seems similar close now, unless they self-refer based connected the guidance of their physician, unless they're watching the quality oregon truly up connected the latest done societal media oregon whatnot, they're not truly getting the information," said Kasper, who is simply a radiation therapist by trade.

Jennie Dale, laminitis and enforcement manager of Dense Breasts Canada, said the enactment is blessed Saskatchewan has met the property 45 milestone. But she is also concerned astir a lack of communication. 

"It's 1 happening to denote that screening is going to statesman astatine 45, and past it's different happening to get women to cognize and to come," Dale said.

She said that since Ontario dropped the property for mammogram screening to women successful their forties successful October 2024, the mean uptake crossed the state has been approximately 14 per cent. Dense Breasts Canada would truly similar to spot those numbers a batch higher successful Saskatchewan.

"That would instrumentality immoderate consciousness campaigns. So we would similar to spot the authorities instrumentality those steps to marque definite that arsenic galore women arsenic imaginable capable to instrumentality vantage of this," said Dale. 

The bosom crab subsister said sending reminder and invitation letters being mailed to women who present suffice would beryllium the astir effectual method. 

Kasper, who besides serves connected the diligent dependable advisory committee with the Canadian Medical Association, agrees with Dale. 

"Women get letters reminding them of their Pap trial for screening for cervical crab each the time," Kasper said. 

"People get a missive successful the mail, they cognize that they request to publication an appointment. They spell and bash truthful ... So I don't spot wherefore it wouldn't enactment for mammography."

Dale and Kasper besides urge the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) amended physicians astir the property driblet and wherefore it's a indispensable measurement forward, and supply signage and accusation pamphlets to doctors offices. Dale said the state should besides initiate wide connection astir self-referrals for mammogram screening crossed each societal media platforms. 

Self-referral eligibility 

To beryllium eligible for self-referral, women indispensable person nary bosom crab symptoms specified arsenic lumps, discharge, oregon tegument changes. They besides cannot person bosom implants or be successful an progressive follow-up for bosom cancer, and indispensable beryllium crab escaped for 5 years.

Mammogram screening is meant to find signs of cancer, and is not utilized for diagnostics. 

At this time, women betwixt the ages of 40 and 44 tin inactive use for screening mammograms if they person a doctor's requisition.

The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA), which provides mammogram screening, tells CBC it is promoting bosom screening with regular posts connected societal media, including the assemblage sojourn docket for the mammography bus.

"If the autobus is coming to a assemblage and appointments are available, further promotion with that assemblage occurs, specified arsenic sharing accusation with municipality offices oregon posting connected section buy/sell sites," the bureau said successful a connection to CBC.

It said it besides works with the SHA to administer printed accusation to doctors' offices. 

"We person developed a batch of capableness successful our strategy for screening mammograms. So we tin connection it some successful Regina and Saskatoon, wherever we person added an other screening mammogram machine, arsenic good arsenic successful our outer sites," Leah Palmer, an aboriginal detection manager astatine SCA, said successful an interview. 

Satellite centres are successful Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Yorkton, North Battleford, Prince Albert and Lloydminster.

Palmer said the agency wants self-referring for screening mammograms to beryllium similar going to your dentist assignment or going for an oculus cheque up.

"It should beryllium an casual accessible process," she said. "As we know, bosom crab is easier to dainty the sooner that you drawback it, and aboriginal detection tin supply that."

Breast crab risks for women successful their 40s

Dale said getting bosom crab during one's forties adds other information to the mix.

She said Dense Breasts Canada would similar to spot the full country reach 40 sooner than later, due to the fact that each time that passes means idiosyncratic whitethorn beryllium missing retired connected a diagnosis.

"We bash cognize that crab successful the 40s is highly assertive and 17 per cent of cancers bash hap successful the 40s. And the complaint of mortality for women from 40 to 49 is high."

She adds that there are besides galore radical disparities, because many ethnicities get crab earlier than achromatic women.

"So it is inequitable not to beryllium screening astatine 40 everywhere. But we are blessed to spot that Saskatchewan volition beryllium getting there."

Dale said that astatine this clip determination are 7 provinces and territories that surface astatine 40 years old. 

Concerns implicit strategy overload

One Weyburn women says she's concerned that having much women signing up for mammogram screening volition flood an already overloaded system. 

CBC archetypal spoke with bosom crab subsister and advocate Lisa Vick in February 2024, erstwhile she had been waiting 5 months aft her diagnosis to get a surgeon consultation. She was incapable to marque a attraction program until aft that consultation. 

Today, Vick keeps way of each hold times related to bosom cancer. She said wait times for mammogram screening for women with signs of bosom crab are inactive not being met.

"I'm blessed for those women that, you cognize present tin self-refer, but what astir those inactive waiting connected yearly mammograms?" Vick said. 

She said women with signs of bosom crab are perpetually reaching retired to her. For example, Vick said past week a woman said she had been told she would person to hold 2 months for a a screening mammogram, adjacent though she had recovered 2 lumps successful her breast.

"A two-month hold and you person visible, palpable lumps successful your bosom and you person to wait? It's not acceptable. And the deficiency of connection successful betwixt the SHA and patients and doctors needs to beryllium cleared up. This ... needs to beryllium dealt with," said Vick. 

The SCA said current screening mammogram hold times are "at most" six months, but it said many locations connection appointments wrong days oregon weeks of booking. 

Meanwhile, Kasper said the provincial health-care strategy does not person enough medical radiation technologists who execute bosom diagnostic exams to conscionable the increasing request the property driblet volition bring. 

"If we are screening more, we're going to find much [cancer]," Kasper said.

"But volition we person capable unit and volition the system get overloaded connected Phase 2? So if you find thing connected screening, are these women going to person entree to diagnostic scans?"

SHA says recruitment 'challenging'

In a connection to CBC, the SHA said recruitment of aesculapian radiation technologists who execute bosom screening exams has been "challenging."

The authorization said it continues to enlistee done a fig of initiatives successful bid to capable vacancies, including posting positions locally and nationally.

"Efforts to enactment recruitment whitethorn see fiscal incentives, depending connected the presumption and location. Saskatchewan's compensation rates for aesculapian radiation technologists are competitory and comparable to different provinces."

The Ministry of Health archetypal announced the enlargement of bosom crab screening successful September 2024. In January it dropped the property from 50 to 47. 

The adjacent property driblet comes successful January 2026 for women aged 43 to 45 years old.