Government of Canada helping to close knowledge gap on breast cancer screening
News release
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among women and people assigned female at birth in Canada.
September 27, 2023 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada
In 2022, an estimated 28,600 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,500 died from the disease. While survival rates have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, more can be done to improve outcomes.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (the Task Force) announced in June 2023 that it was undertaking an expedited review of its 2018 breast cancer screening guideline, targeting late fall 2023 for publication of revised guidance. The goal is to ensure that the recommendations reflect the latest knowledge and evidence available to give patients the best possible chance of survival.
A Knowledge Exchange, hosted by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) over the past two days, brought together Canadian and international experts, partners, people with lived experiences, and stakeholders. Discussions focused on the current state of the science, including knowledge gaps and where future research efforts should be focused in breast cancer screening.
The information and knowledge exchanged during the event will help inform the Task Force's guideline update and support further collaboration between stakeholders. This builds on consultations with stakeholder organizations and other external experts at each stage of guideline development (protocol, systematic review, guideline), and online consultations with Canadians this past summer.
Quotes
"While we've made significant progress in breast cancer survival rates over the last 20 years, we can't be complacent. Community organizations and health care providers are on the frontlines and we are thankful for their tireless work, advice, ideas and feedback. We are all committed to doing everything we can to safeguard women's health and look forward to the work of the task force. Thank you for inviting me to participate in this Knowledge Exchange."
The Honourable Ya'ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
Quick facts
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The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (the Task Force) is an arms-length, independent and objective panel of experts who develop clinical practice guidelines.
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The Task Force's screening guideline on breast cancer was last updated in 2018. It currently outlines both the benefits and harms of screening for people living in Canada and stresses the importance of shared decision-making between a patient and their healthcare providers.
Associated links
Contacts
Christopher Aoun
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
613-291-4176
Alexander Fernandes
Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
and Associate Minister of Health
613-290-0318
Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
613-957-2983
media@hc-sc.gc.ca
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