Breast cancer screenings at 40? Quebec is thinking about it

Quebec says it plans to evaluate whether or not it will lower the age of regular breast screenings to 40 years old.

This comes after Ontario announced it would be lowering the age for regular, publicly funded breast cancer screenings from 50 to 40 to help with early detection and prevent death.

This could mean an additional 130,000 mammograms conducted in Ontario each year.

"The Programme québécois de cancérologie, like other jurisdictions, keeps abreast of new recommendations for cancer screening on an ongoing basis," the Quebec Health Ministry tells CTV News. "Developments in the scientific literature are monitored on an ongoing basis."

Last May, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a draft guidance calling for biannual breast cancer screenings to start at age 40 instead of 50.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Care currently recommends mammograms every two to three years for women aged 50 to 74, with screenings for women aged 40 to 49 only if they're at an increased risk of breast cancer.

"The balance of benefits and harms is less favourable for women of this age than for older women," it says on its website. "If women in this age group wish to be screened, they should have a discussion with their health care provider to decide if screening is best for them."

The task force's guidelines are set to be reviewed this year, as is done every five years.

The Quebec Health Ministry notes it plans to submit a request to the Institut national d'excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) to evaluate whether or not women under 50 should be included in the province's routine breast cancer screening protocol.

"Although women aged 40 to 49 are not currently targeted by the Quebec breast cancer screening program, physicians and specialized nurse practitioners may prescribe a mammogram for a woman of this age or younger depending on individual risk assessment," the Quebec Health Ministry states.

In Canada, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths.