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If routine screening had been accessible to Parminder beginning at age 40, her breast cancer could have been caught earlier, before the disease had the opportunity to spread.
Routine mammograms beginning at the age of 50 are missing early and aggressive cancers.
Breast Cancer Canada is urging Canada to follow the example set by the U.S. task force and lower the recommended age for regular screening mammograms to 40. Routine screening in women aged 40 to 49 reduces the relative risk of dying of breast cancer by 15 percent.
Parminder has heard the words “you have breast cancer,” and knows what it’s like to have her life changed forever. In August 2021, at the age of 46, Parminder felt a lump in her right breast. After weeks of exploration and tests, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Parminder’s mother had breast cancer at the age of 74 years old. Thankfully her mother’s diagnosis was caught at a very early stage.
For Parminder, her own diagnosis came as a “complete shock”.
“Unfortunately my cancer was more developed and had spread to my lymph nodes. It was a diagnosis that I never expected. It turned my world upside down,” she shares. Screening sooner means the breast cancer might be treated through removal of the tumor, not the entire breast, patients could be spared the side-effects of chemotherapy, and individuals are diagnosed before the cancer advances and invades other parts of the body.
Parminder is passionate about advocating for better breast cancer screening for women in Canada, especially those with a family history of the disease, like her daughter.
“I can’t stress the importance of routine mammograms enough,” she says. “Screening detects breast cancer in its very early stages, ahead of a lump or any other symptoms present.”
Research has shown us that when breast cancer is diagnosed at earlier stages, it’s more treatable, treatment is less complex, the side effects are less invasive, and chances recurrences are lower.
With your help, we can know more about breast cancer. And that helps us detect it earlier for patients like Parminder.
“When I started treatment, I was the youngest person in the room… Now, that’s not really the case.”
The most important thing was living every day to the fullest – and the memories.
“Progress means every woman — in every Canadian community — is seen, heard, and cared for”.
Breast Cancer Canada donations fund life-saving research that directly impacts Canadian patients. That means better answers, bigger breakthroughs – and more personalized treatment for every breast cancer diagnosis.
Our suite of digital tools are each designed to help individuals better manage their breast cancer journey through education, research and personalized insights, while also elevating the patient voice.
Every breast cancer journey is unique, but together, these stories paint a powerful picture of progress. Through firsthand accounts from patients and survivors, we share stories that highlight the lived-experiences of breast cancer.
Progress happens when we invest in it. Canada is home to some of the world’s brightest minds in research. Together, we are advancing science, ensuring it leads to earlier detection, better treatments, and improved outcomes for patients across the country.
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