Hello. My name is Ciana Van Dusen and I am the manager, prevention and early detection. With me today, virtually, is David Raynaud, who is the senior manager for Quebec. We are part of the advocacy team at the Canadian Cancer Society, the CCS.

The CCS is the voice of Canadians who care about cancer. As part of our commitment to improving and saving lives, we are happy to make recommendations about breast cancer screening.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada. Two in five people are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis over their lifetime, and approximately one in four people will die of the disease.

In Canada, it is estimated that one woman in eight will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Breast cancer is the type of cancer most often diagnosed in women in Canada, and even though there are fewer cases among women under age 50, it is still the leading cause of deaths from cancer among women aged 30 to 49 years. While the data show that the incidence of breast cancer among women in their forties has risen over the last 35 years, the overall incidence of breast cancer and the mortality rates in Canada are dropping, with improving early detection, treatment and care being significant contributors.

However, international data indicate that more Black, Asian and Hispanic women who have breast cancer receive a diagnosis before the age of 50. In addition, they often receive a diagnosis when the disease is at an advanced stage compared to other women. That means that starting breast cancer screening at age 50 is a missed opportunity to do early screening among the women in those communities.

The data have shown the benefits of starting regular, systematic breast cancer screening starting at age 40. Timely screening is essential in order to detect breast cancer early, when treatments have more chance of being effective.

We will keep hearing about people who have breast cancer whom the current guidelines do not take into account, because those guidelines do not reflect their lived experience.

As well, a national survey has shown that most respondents said they support expanding access to systematic breast cancer screening by setting the age to start screening at 40.

Our organization supports systematic breast cancer screening for women at average risk aged 40 to 49. We also have to make sure there are clear guidelines for people at high or very high risk of developing breast cancer, such as people who have certain genetic mutations, family histories, or dense breasts.

I will now give the floor to Mr. Raynaud.