Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women* in Canada, with one in eight women expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime.
Early detection through screening can make treatment easier and improve survival rates. In April 2024, the US recommended starting breast cancer screening for women in their forties. However, Canada’s guidelines, updated in May 2024, did not fully adopt this change, highlighting the need for more research.
To address these evidence gaps, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health for the Government of Canada, announced $295,000 in funding for CanPath to advance research for breast cancer screening. Minister Holland announced this funding at an in-person event at the Canadian Cancer Society, which also received funding for breast cancer public awareness.
“When we think of breast cancer screening, data gaps, and the solutions research can deploy, it’s exceptionally important,” said the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, “so the partnership between the federal government and CanPath is very exciting.”
CanPath will use existing Canadian cohort and administrative data to address three main objectives:
- Study differences in screening participation, treatments, and outcomes by race and ethnicity.
- Understand breast cancer risk factors and how they vary by race and ethnicity.
- Analyze screening results, such as recall and biopsy rates, by race and ethnicity.
This research aims to create better screening guidelines that consider the diverse needs of all Canadian women.
“Anytime we can announce good news and talk about how we can advance research together is an exciting day. It’s so great to get to celebrate these wins together,” says Dr. Jennifer Brooks, Executive Director at CanPath.
*Cisgendered women and other adults assigned female at birth, such as transgender men and nonbinary people.
