Women in their 40s can now book a mammogram in Ontario without needing a doctor’s referral.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced last year that the province would lower the age for breast cancer screening self-referrals from 50 to 40, and she says today the change has now taken effect.
Eligible people can call any Ontario Breast Screening Program location to book an appointment, and a list of sites can be found on Ontario Health’s website.
The province is spending nearly $20 million to increase the availability of appointments and train additional staff.
The government estimates that of the one million women between the ages of 40 and 49 who can now self-refer for mammograms, about 305,000 will seek out the screening.
People between the ages of 30 and 69 who qualify as high-risk, such as those with a family history of breast cancer or who carry certain genes known to increase the risk of breast cancer, can already get regular mammograms and breast MRIs.
The province announced the change following a draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force last year that said screenings in that country should start at 40 instead of 50, because evidence suggested that would have a moderate benefit in reducing deaths.
Ontario has announced it will lower the age for routine mammograms from 50 to 40 starting next year. The province says it’s making the move to catch more cancers at an early stage.