Breast cancer screening self-referral age lowering in Manitoba

Manitoba is lowering the age people can book their own breast cancer screening without a doctor’s referral. Taylor Brock reports.

A breast cancer survivor who had to advocate for herself is hopeful about a move to detect the disease earlier.

Starting Jan. 2, the age at which someone can book their own breast cancer screening test without a doctor’s referral will be lowered from 50 to 45, according to a Tuesday media release from Manitoba’s Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara.

The province said by the end of 2026, it’ll lower the age to 40.

“This life-saving milestone could not have been achieved without the tireless effort of advocates over the past two years,” said MLA Kathleen Cook, the PC’s health critic, in a release.

Cook has been pushing for the age to be lowered since 2024.

Breast cancer screening advocate Jenny Borgfjord is happy to see the change.

“I would have benefited from screening in my 40s, I believe, had they been able to take multiple images over time,” Borgfjord said.

‘You have breast cancer’ are four words Borgfjord didn’t expect to hear at 53 years old, especially after a doctor first told her she was too young for breast cancer and her initial mammogram came back clean.

“A little birdie inside my head, I’m pretty sure it was my mother, telling me ‘Nope, that’s not acceptable,’” Borgfjord said. “If something feels off, go and get it checked out.”

Borgfjord said CancerCare told her she now has no detectible signs of the disease, but she needs to do a diagnostic mammogram every year.

According to CancerCare’s website, more than 900 Manitobans are diagnosed with breast cancer and 150 people die from the cancer every year.

“We are very encouraged by the Manitoba government’s support for CancerCare Manitoba’s commitment to cancer screening,” said Dr. Donna Turner, CancerCare Manitoba’s vice-president and chief of population oncology, in the province’s release.

In the future, Borgfjord wants to see more screening options for breast cancer, such as ultrasounds or even MRIs, for people, such as herself, who have dense breasts, making it difficult to detect cancer.

The province said CancerCare Manitoba will likely do 47,000 breast screenings by the end of 2025.