Canada's current national screening guidelines for breast cancer are less appropriate for women of certain race and ethnicity groups since they are diagnosed at younger ages with more advanced stages of the disease. The new findings from a University of Ottawa research team underscore the urgent need to reevaluate screening guidelines to account for racial and ethnic differences and ensure equitable healthcare access, including earlier screening, to improve outcomes for all women. Breast cancer characteristics and outcomes in Canada related to race and ethnicity are not currently documented.
This new study has found that Canadian women who did not identify as White had an earlier peak age of breast cancer diagnosis and higher proportions of cases diagnosed under age 50. They also have an earlier peak age of death, dying on average seven years earlier. Key findings The study, which linked census data with the Canadian Cancer Registry to assess breast cancer cases, was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr.
Anna Wilkinson and Dr. Jean Seely along with Carmina Ng and Larry Ellison from Statistics Canada. Published in The Oncologist , key findings include: A Black woman in her 40s faces a breast cancer mortality rate that is 40% higher compared to White women of the same age group.
First Nations and Métis women in their 60s face mortality rates 20% to 50% higher than White women of the same age groups, respectively. The peak age of breast cancer diagnosis was 65 for Whit.