The Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan is launching a new fundraising campaign to help younger women access breast cancer screening services across the province.
The foundation has committed to raising $3.2 million, after the Saskatchewan government announced earlier this year that the provincial breast cancer screening age eligibility will expand to include women aged 40-49.
“Lowering the age of screening eligibility will empower women between the ages of 40 and 49, no matter where they live, to access screening without barriers,” the foundation’s website reads.
“As the age for screening eligibility expands to include women in their 40s, a whole new generation of women will gain access to breast healthcare.”
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The upcoming change will result in approximately 76,000 additional women being eligible to participate in the program.
It is estimated that in 2024, 780 Saskatchewan women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 180 will die.
The $3.2 million raised will go towards funding a second fully equipped breast screening vehicle, alongside an SUV to transport staff and supplies, plus two new mammography machines for the screening programs in Regina and Saskatoon.
“We remain committed to ensuring Saskatchewan women have access to safe, high quality and timely breast care,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said.
The age screenings for women aged 40 or older will begin in January, but the government said the transition will be gradual.
“In January 2025, it’s not an automatic opening to all women 40 and up,” Deb Bulych, the Saskatchewan Cancer Society president and CEO, said.
“It’s a staged rolled out approach because we do expect 76,000 women are now newly eligible with the lowering of the age. We can’t flood the system that way. It’ll make everyone wait much longer.”
In 2023, the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan completed a $2-million fundraising campaign for the replacement of the province’s 22-year-old breast screening bus. That new mobile mammography unit is expected to be operational in 2025.
Those interested in donating to the campaign for breast cancer screening equipment can visit the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan website.
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