Free access to breast cancer screening in Quebec is now extended to women aged 70 to 74 in order to improve cancer prevention and control services.
The program was until now exclusively offered to Quebec women aged 50 to 69. This screening test will take place every two years, in a designated screening center (CDD), whether women are referred by a doctor or not.
Since 1er Last February, eligible people received, by mail, a personalized invitation letter which allows them to obtain an appointment for a mammogram in a recognized radiological clinic, in all regions of Quebec. Eligible women therefore do not need to obtain a prescription from a health professional, as the program letter can be used for this purpose.
The government of Quebec has also given a mandate to the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) to evaluate the possibility of expanding screening from the age of 40, i.e. an age ten years younger than current eligibility.
The Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services reports that the Canadian Cancer Society has concluded that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Canada and the second cause of cancer death among Canadian women.
In Quebec, approximately 8,000 new cases of breast cancer appear each year and approximately 80% of these cases affect women aged 50 and over.
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