Regular breast cancer screening can find cancer when it is small and there is a better chance of treating it successfully.
The Ontario Breast Screening Program screens 2 different groups of women who are eligible for breast cancer screening in Ontario: those at average risk and those at high risk. For women age 50 to 74 at average risk, the Ontario Breast Screening Program recommends that most women get screened with mammography every 2 years.
For women age 30 to 69 who meet the High Risk Ontario Breast Screening Program eligibility criteria, the program recommends getting screened every year with both mammography and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (or screening breast ultrasound if MRI is not medically appropriate).
Please visit the Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) website for more information about breast cancer screening or consult your primary healthcare provider.
Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable with regular screening, appropriate and timely follow-up of abnormal Pap test results and human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization.
The Ontario Cervical Screening Program recommends that people who have a cervix and who are or have been sexually active have a Pap test every 3 years starting at age 25. The Pap test is the most common way to find cell changes in the cervix that may lead to cancer. Regular screening should continue until age 70 or when advised by your doctor or nurse practitioner to stop.
Please visit the Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) website for more information about cervical cancer screening or consult your primary healthcare provider.
When colorectal cancer is caught early enough through screening, there is a 9 out of 10 chance of being cured.
The ColonCancerCheck Program screens 2 different groups of people who are eligible for colorectal cancer screening in Ontario: those at average risk and those at increased risk.
Someone is at average risk if they are 50 to 74 years old with no first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister or child) who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Average-risk people are screened with a fecal immunochemical test (also called FIT) - a safe and painless at-home cancer screening test – every 2 years.
Someone is at increased risk if they have a family history of colorectal cancer that includes 1 or more first-degree relatives (parent, brother, sister or child) with the disease. Increased risk people are screened with a colonoscopy - a test that allows a doctor to look at the entire colon using a long, flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end, at least every 10 years.
Please visit the Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) website for more information about colorectal cancer screening or consult your primary healthcare provider.
Lung Cancer is one of the most common cancers, and is the most common cause of cancer death in Ontario. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, and getting screened regularly can greatly lower the risk of dying from lung cancer.
You may qualify for lung cancer screening if you are 55 to 74 years old and have smoked cigarettes every day for at least 20 years (it does not have to be 20 years in a row, which means there could be times when you did not smoke).
People who are at high risk of getting lung cancer and qualify to get screened will be offered a special type of computed tomography (CT) scan that uses a small amount of radiation. This test is called a “low-dose CT scan.”
Please visit the Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) website for more information about lung cancer screening or consult your primary healthcare provider.