New report an opportunity to understand and improve impact of organized breast cancer screening

A new report released by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, entitled Organized Breast Cancer Screening Programs in Canada: Report on Program Performance in 2007 and 2008, provides key information about breast cancer morbidity and mortality as well as potential harms associated with screening. The report, which monitors and evaluates programs essential to the early detection of a disease that took the lives of an estimated 5,100 Canadians in 2012,^[1] provides the latest data available to ensure that Canadian women ultimately have access to high-quality breast cancer screening programs.

The availability of the report on the cancerview.ca online portal also marks the migration of the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Initiative (CBCSI) National Committees to a new home at the Partnership. “As new hosts of the National Committees, the Partnership is pleased to support the release of Organized Breast Cancer Screening Programs in Canada: Report on Program Performance in 2007 and 2008, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and to welcome the excellent work of the Initiative as a valued partner in efforts to reduce the burden of breast cancer on Canadian women,” says Susan Fekete, Director of Screening & Early Detection with the Partnership.

The report, developed by PHAC and supported by the CBCSI shows that although organized screening mammography program participation rates still fall below the CBCSI 70% target goal, they have been consistent, maintaining a gradual increase over time. Another highlight of the report is the demonstration of a dramatic decrease in invasive biopsy rates (open surgical) for older women.

Focusing on trends in the performance of organized breast cancer screening from 1999 until 2008, the report also covers a variety of new measurements from sensitivity of screening mammography programs to a comprehensive description of diagnostic intervals.

The sixth biennial report on breast cancer screening program performance developed by PHAC, this report is one of three being published: Quality Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening with Mammography in Canada and Report from the Evaluation Indicators Working Group: Guidelines for Monitoring Breast Cancer Screening Program Performance. “Together,” says Greg Doyle, Coordinator of the Breast Screening Program for Newfoundland & Labrador and Chair of the CBCSI National Committee, “these reports give the cancer control community important information that they can act on to ensure that Canadian women have access to high-quality screening programs.”

Notes

¹ Canadian Cancer Society’s Steering Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2012. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2012.