Breast cancer screening

  • Charts and Tables

    Charts and Tables

    Figure 2.2

    Participation rate in breast cancer screening programs (%), by jurisdiction – 2014 screening year

    Rate includes screens in the 30-month period July1, 2012 - December 31, 2014.

    ON: Breast cancer prevalence estimates are underestimated because in-situ cancers were not registered at the time the Canadian Cancer Registry was created.

    QC: Breast cancer prevalence is estimated using the Canadian average (excluding Quebec).

    Data source: Provincial and territorial breast cancer screening programs.

    Data Table

    JurisdictionPercent (%)
    QC62.3
    NB60.1
    PE59.7
    AB58.0
    NS55.2
    BC54.4
    MB54.1
    ON49.1
    SK43.3
    NL36.6
    NT31.8
    YT–
    NU–

    Rate includes screens in the 30-month period July1, 2012 - December 31, 2014.

    ON: Breast cancer prevalence estimates are underestimated because in-situ cancers were not registered at the time the Canadian Cancer Registry was created.

    QC: Breast cancer prevalence is estimated using the Canadian average (excluding Quebec).

    Data source: Provincial and territorial breast cancer screening programs.

    Figure 2.11

    Abnormal call rate (subsequent screens), invasive cancer detection rate (subsequent screens), women aged 50 to 69 years — 2003 to 2012 screening years†

    † “Subsequent screens” includes women who have been screened for breast cancer in the past, and excludes women new to the screening program.

    Target: Abnormal call rate (subsequent screen) is <5%; Invasive cancer detection rate (subsequent screen) is >3 per 1,000 screens.

    AB: Excluded from data prior to 2007 as the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Program was launched in 2007.

    QC: Complete diagnostic/cancer information was available to September 30, 2012.

    Data source: Provincial breast cancer screening programs.

    Data Table

    YearIndicatorUnitNumber of screens Rate
    2003Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%3,181,3076.7
    2004Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%3,355,8666.4
    2005Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%3,527,3926.1
    2006Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%3,728,8146.0
    2007Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%4,189,0386.0
    2008Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%4,943,7396.1
    2009Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%5,740,6056.2
    2010Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%6,414,9446.4
    2011Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%7,407,9917.1
    2012Abnormal call rate, subsequent screens%7,866,7857.4
    2003Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens1,7573.7
    2004Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens1,8353.5
    2005Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens2,1403.7
    2006Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens2,2373.6
    2007Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens2,6533.8
    2008Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens2,8373.5
    2009Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens3,3333.6
    2010Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens3,7093.7
    2011Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens3,8613.7
    2012Invasive cancer detection rate, subsequent screensper 1,000 screens3,9333.7

    † “Subsequent screens” includes women who have been screened for breast cancer in the past, and excludes women new to the screening program.

    Target: Abnormal call rate (subsequent screen) is <5%; Invasive cancer detection rate (subsequent screen) is >3 per 1,000 screens.

    AB: Excluded from data prior to 2007 as the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Program was launched in 2007.

    QC: Complete diagnostic/cancer information was available to September 30, 2012.

    Data source: Provincial breast cancer screening programs.

  • Data specifications

    Data specifications

    Participation rate in breast cancer screening program

    The results were extracted from figure 3B in the report: Breast Cancer Screening in Canada: Monitoring and Evaluation of Quality Indicators – Results Report, January 2011 to December 2012. Details on methodologies can be found in the report.

    Abnormal call in subsequent screening mammograms

    Definition: Percentage of subsequent screening mammograms that are identified as abnormal in women aged 50-69

    Rationale for measurement: Abnormal call rate is an important indicator of the quality of the mammography image and interpretation. A high abnormal call rate can increase the false positive rate and result in unnecessary (and potentially avoidable) tests. Programs should strive to balance the number of abnormal calls with the number of cancers detected. This can be monitored by comparing the number of abnormal screens per extra cancer detected. Programs with extremely low abnormal call rates should also be monitored as this may results in lower cancer detection and higher post-screen cancer rates.

    Measurement timeframe: Screening years 2003 to 2012

    Denominator: Number of subsequent screening mammograms during the timeframe in women aged 50-69

    Numerator: Number of subsequent screening mammograms identified as abnormal in women aged 50-69

    Exclusion criteria: 

    1. Women with ages beyond 50-69
    2.  Cases referred by clinical breast exam (CBE) alone
    3. Women new to the screening program

    Data availability: All provinces and NT

    Stratification: By years

    Data source: Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Database

    Data retrieval date: Mar 2016

    Variables details: Not applicable

    Notes from jurisdictions:

    • AB: Excluded from data prior to 2007 as the Alberta Breast Cancer Screening Program was launched in 2007.
    • QC: Complete diagnostic/cancer information was available to September 30, 2012.

    Methodology notes: Analysis was conducted by Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

    Changes to definition compared to previous years: Not applicable

    Invasive cancer detection in subsequent screening mammograms

    Definition: Invasive breast cancer detection rate (per 1,000 screens) in women aged 50-69 through subsequent screening mammograms

    Rationale for measurement: The cancer detection rate is to evaluate how successful the program is at finding invasive cancers. It is also meaningful when considered in relation to the abnormal call rate.

    Measurement timeframe: Screening years 2003 to 2012

    Denominator: Number of subsequent screening mammograms during the timeframe in women aged 50-69

    Numerator: Number of invasive breast cancer detected in subsequent screening mammograms in women aged 50-69

    Exclusion criteria:

    1. Women with ages beyond 50-69.
    2. Cancers detected by clinical breast exam (CBE) alone
    3. Women new to the screening program

    Data availability: All provinces and NT

    Stratification: By years

    Data source: Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Database

    Data retrieval date: Mar 2016

    Variables details: Not applicable

    Notes from jurisdictions:

    • AB: Excluded from data prior to 2007 as AB Breast Cancer Screening Program (ABCSP) launched in 2007

    Methodology notes: Analysis was conducted by Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

    Changes to definition compared to previous years: Not applicable

  • Related indicators