Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I also want to thank the witnesses for their informative testimonies.
Dr. Seely, the working group recommends not proceeding with systematic mammography screening for women 40 to 49. This group emphasizes the informed choice of the patient, which involves an equally informed discussion between the patient and her doctor on the pros and cons of screening.
A study published in 2022 mentions that the obstacles to an individualized breast cancer risk assessment included knowledge of the risk factors and risk assessment tools. It also mentioned that doctors were having a hard time identifying breast cancer risk factors outside of family history, such as reproductive factors, ethnic origin or breast density. The study shows that some doctors lacked the skills to calculate the overall risk of breast cancer.
Do you not think that the doctors' lack of knowledge of risk factors and assessment tools can influence the informed decision that the patient should be making?