Experts warn about rise in advanced cases of breast cancer

The Ontario Medical Association is sounding the alarm over potential undiagnosed cases of breast cancer.

According to the association, there were about 422,000 fewer mammograms performed in Ontario over the pandemic than expected and while screening levels have returned to normal, patients are returning sicker.

“Some women are being diagnosed with bigger lumps and more advanced stage cancer meaning treatment is much more complicated,” said Dr. Rose Zacharias, the president of OMA.

The association said the ongoing hospital backlog, lengthy surgical wait times and staffing shortages adds to further delays.

Dr. Jean Seely, the head of breast imaging at Ottawa General Hospital estimated there are about 28,000 people with undiagnosed breast cancer.

Seely said the best way to be proactive is to detect breast cancer before there is a symptom.

“We recommend a screening mammogram over 40 for all women,” she said.

Thomas McFarlane, an oncology expert and professor at the University of Waterloo, said a patient can ask their family doctor for a referral to get screened.

“If you can catch breast cancer at a point when it hasn’t spread, a surgeon can remove it. But they will have a greater than 90 per cent of survival,” McFarlane said.

Renee Taylor from Cambridge was in her thirties when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after getting a mammogram.

“My first thought was my kids,” said Taylor, a mom of three.

Taylor completed chemotherapy and went into remission in 2020 and said she considers herself lucky to have been screened when she was, urging others to do the same.

“Had I been checked earlier, it would have saved a lot of pain for me, my family, my kids because it [cancer] was very fast growing,” she said.

McFarlane expects delays to screening will cause a large influx of more advanced cases over the next few years with much poorer outcomes.

“You’re looking at the chance of survival dropping significantly,” said McFarlane, “with stage five metastatic cancer, five year survival is 20 per cent.”

The association is calling on the government to better support the healthcare system that includes the licensing of foreign trained physicians to help reduce the burden on hospitals.