Cancer screening: Early detection saves Canada’s healthcare system millions, uOttawa says [Video]

Researchers at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) say while recent research shows breast cancer cases are on the rise among younger Canadians, early diagnosis not only saves lives, but also saves the country’s healthcare system nearly $500 million.

Early detection of breast cancer can spare patients chemotherapy and radiotherapy, said the university in a news release on Thursday.

“When breast cancers are detected at an early stage, less intensive treatments can be employed such as lumpectomies instead of mastectomies, single (sentinel) node biopsies instead of removing all the lymph nodes in the armpit, and often omitting chemotherapy and radiotherapy,” said Lead author Dr. Anna Wilkinson, an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the uOttawa and a GP oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) Cancer Centre in the release.

“Breast cancer survival is predicated by stage at diagnosis: The five-year net survival for Stage I breast cancer is 100 percent which, subsequently, declines to 92 per cent, …