Health P.E.I. says wait times for non-urgent mammograms have increased across the province, with some patients who are due for an exam waiting an extra seven to eight months for their screening.

If you ask radiologist Dr. Jean Seely, that’s too long to wait. 

“It’s always very concerning when there are delays in getting regular screening,” said Seely, who’s the head of the breast imaging section at Ottawa Hospital. 

“We know that regular screening every one or two years actually saves lives.”

Health P.E.I. said in a statement that the increase in wait times is due to the the province’s growing population, adding that more Islanders are at the age of eligibility for routine scans.

The health authority also said the increase does not account for patients who qualify for an urgent mammogram, which are required when a patient notices a new or concerning symptom — such as a lump on the breast or nipple discharge.

“In these cases, a primary care provider or nurse practitioner must complete a requisition indicating the symptoms so the patient can be scheduled urgently,” the statement reads.

Seely, however, said routine scans can help prevent the need for urgent intervention. She said women who participate in screenings reduce their breast cancer mortality rate by 40 to 60 per cent.

“Having delays of six to seven months for screening is really not acceptable,” she said. “Health-care departments recognize that screening is very important, but it has to be prioritized.”

One of the most important benefits of mammography, she said, is that the technology allows for early-stage detection — something physical exams would likely miss.

“The vast majority of breast cancers that are found through screenings have no symptoms,” Seely said. 

Mammograms typically result in a diagnosis of Stage 1 breast cancer, she said, adding that the five-year survival rate for those patients is nearly 100 per cent.

For diagnoses at Stage 4, that survival rate drops to around 25 per cent. 

Saving lives, and dollars

Routine screenings also put less financial strain on the health-care system. Seely said the longer patients have to wait for a proper diagnosis, the more serious — and costly — the treatment becomes. 

Seely said she conducted a study that suggested the cost of breast cancer treatment at a later stage is more than 10 times higher than when it’s diagnosed earlier. 

“For a woman diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, we found that the cost could be higher than half a million dollars per woman diagnosed,” she said. 

Seely said screening requires recruiting and training more staff, but she’s hopeful the P.E.I. government will make that effort.

“We know that the instances of breast cancer are increasing, particularly in younger women, and so we must really put those resources there,” she said. “It means more training, but it really does have a return on investment.”

In its statement, Health P.E.I. said there are 10 medical radiation technologists who perform mammography across the Island, but that it’s working to attract more. 

“Recruitment is ongoing, as additional technologists would allow us to expand appointment availability and reduce wait times,” the statement reads.