Manitoba lowers breast cancer screening age to 45 starting January 2025

Manitoba will lower the minimum age for breast cancer screening to 45 starting on 2 January. The change applies only to those with no risk factors or symptoms. Advocates in the province have welcomed the decision as a positive development for public health. The province plans to further reduce the screening age to 40 by the end of 2026. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara called the move a vital step for improving early detection. Women aged 40 to 49 who undergo mammograms are 44% less likely to die from breast cancer than those who do not.

Early detection at stage one has a five-year survival rate close to 100%. Dr. Donna Turner, vice-president of CancerCare Manitoba, described the age reduction as a good first step in expanding treatment access. Breast cancer survivor Fiona McIntyre had her cancer detected only after a miscommunication between her doctor and a mammography clinic.

Manitoba’s current policy allows anyone with symptoms to receive a mammogram regardless of age. The new policy will take effect in early January for women aged 45 and above without symptoms. Further expansion to include 40-year-olds is expected by late 2026. The change aims to improve early diagnosis and survival rates across the province.