Thanks, Dr. Seely.
We have the technology in Canada to detect additional cancers in dense breasts, but we are not using it. Only Alberta uses 3-D mammography for screening and uses it in about half the clinics it has. We have the MRI. We have the ultrasound.
Women across the country have difficulty accessing even an ultrasound, and in many provinces, they're flat out refused. It's inequity across the country. We don't have the same chance to find cancer early. It's dependent on where you live. We would like to see more use of the technology we have, to help find cancer early.
One of the reasons the provinces are not offering supplemental screening for women with dense breasts is the task force. It recommended against supplemental screening, and it did not do its own evidence review on dense breasts. It just followed what the U.S. said.
Ontario did a comprehensive 300-page review on density. It recommended supplemental screening for women in category D. The task force totally ignored it. It ignored the randomized control trials on density. That's the major reason we can't access the screening we need.