By Rafah Di Costanzo, MLA
In early July, I was honoured to be joined by dozens of breast cancer survivors and dense breast advocates as we rallied together to call on the province to pass the Find It Early Act ahead of a meeting of the Standing Committee on Health.
I introduced the Find It Early Act in March, which would make supplementary screening options, such as abbreviated MRIs, available to women with dense breasts, defined as category C or D density. Dense breasts is a risk factor for cancer, and cancer is often missed in dense breasts as the dense tissue appears white on a mammogram, as does a tumour. Roughly 55 per cent of Canadian women in their 40s have dense breasts, and the vast majority of them have category C density. MRI machines can detect nearly four times more cancers than a regular mammogram, yet mammograms continue to be the standard practice for women with dense breasts in Nova Scotia.
Many women, like myself, underwent regular mammogram screenings for years and were reassured that there were no signs of cancer. However, just months after my last mammogram and ultrasound screening in 2022, a new lump appeared, leading to a diagnosis of 95% malignancy. For many NS women with category C and D dense breasts, the absence of supplementary screenings like abbreviated MRI and CEM available in other provinces, drastically impacted our outcomes. Instead of benefiting from early intervention, we faced mastectomies and several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, resulting in a significant decline in our overall health, quality of life, and hair loss.
With the recent announcement of two new and two replacement MRI machines added to our healthcare system, now is the time to reconsider cancer screening practices in Nova Scotia. Putting more resources into finding cancer early could save the healthcare system hundreds of thousands of dollars on treating advanced cancer.
If I can save even one woman from going through the hell I went through, it is worth it.
Please follow my social media. We need to put pressure on this government to change the outdated Breast Cancer screening policies.
