Breast cancer screening in Canada: Monitoring and evaluation of quality indicators – Results report 2009 to 2010 (2015)

December 1, 2015

Review this 2015 report for data from all provinces and one territory about breast cancer screening programs in 2009 and 2010 for women aged 50 to 69

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in Canadian women. Although breast cancer can be diagnosed at any age, more than half of all new cases occur in women aged 50 to 69 years. Early detection through screening, combined with effective treatment, remains the best option for reducing breast-cancer deaths in that age group.

Monitoring of organized breast-cancer screening programs helps to understanding the programs’ impact on breast cancer rates and deaths, as well as the potential harms which can come with screening. The overall results support screening programs, and help to make sure that Canadian women can access high-quality, organized breast-screening services.

This report provides a results summary. In 2009 to 2010, organized breast-cancer programs screened more than 3 million Canadian women aged 30 years and older. Participation in women aged 50 to 69 years was 53.2 per cent in 2010, up slightly from 52.1 per cent in 2009.

Although those numbers are substantially below the 70 per cent target, participation varied widely by jurisdiction, from 31.7 per cent to 64.6 per cent in 2010. In 2009, the majority of women aged 50 to 67 years returned to screening within 30 months.

The report concludes that organized breast-cancer screening programs continue to provide services to Canadian women. Programs strive to reduce breast-cancer deaths, and minimize the harms of screening by evaluating the programs, continuing research, and adapting to reflect new evidence and technologies.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Database (CBCSD) provides a venue for provinces and territories to share information, compare results and collaborate to solve program challenges. This report’s information is for governments, cancer agencies, screening-program managers, health professionals and other breast-cancer stakeholders to support organized cancer-screening programs across Canada.

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