BreastCheck

BreastCheck is CancerCare Manitoba’s breast cancer screening program. BreastCheck screens eligible Manitobans ages 45 and over for early signs of breast cancer. Regular screening mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. When breast cancer is found early, there may be more treatment options and better chance of a cure.

People aged 45 and over may have a screening mammogram every 2 years. You should use informed decision-making that considers the potential benefits and potential harms of screening to decide whether to screen.  

Breast cancer screening programs target a specific group of people (e.g. age, sex). The group is selected based on who can have to most benefits and the fewest harms from the screening and follow-up tests.

People can be screened at BreastCheck if they:

1. Are aged 45 and over
2. Do not have any signs or symptoms of breast cancer (unusual lumps or nipple discharge)
3. Do not have a personal history of breast cancer
4. Do not have breast implants
5. Are not pregnant
6. Are not breastfeeding/chest feeding currently or in the past 3 months

People who are not eligible to be screened at BreastCheck should speak to their healthcare provider about the best breast health care for their needs. People who have symptoms of breast cancer should be referred to a diagnostic imaging clinic by a healthcare provider for further testing. You can go to a walk-in clinic if you do not have a primary healthcare provider.

It is important to know how your breasts normally look and feel so you can notice changes in your breasts. Talk to your healthcare provider if you notice any changes in your breasts, even if you had a normal screening mammogram.

Am I at risk of breast cancer?

Talk with your healthcare provider about your individual risk for breast cancer.

Most eligible people at average risk of breast cancer should have a screening mammogram every 2 years. People at average risk of breast cancer have no risk factors that put them at an increased risk of breast cancer.

Some people are at increased risk for breast cancer and may need to be screened more frequently or with different tests. When you come for your first BreastCheck screening mammogram, you will be asked questions to determine your risk level and how often you should be screened for breast cancer.

Some factors you cannot change that can increase your risk for breast cancer include:

• Having a BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene mutation.
• Personal history of:
  • lobular carcinoma in-situ,
  • atypical ductal hyperplasia,
  • atypical lobular hyperplasia,
  • breast cancer
  • ovarian cancer,
  • radiation therapy to breast tissue in childhood or young adulthood.

• Significant family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

To reduce your risk of breast cancer:

 There are several ways that you may be able to reduce your risk of breast cancer. These include:

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast tissue. An x-ray is a type of radiation that can pass through the body and is used to make an image of the tissue and bones. A mammogram image shows the detail of breast tissue from two different angles.

On the day of your mammogram appointment:

• You may experience redness or bruising; this usually disappears in a few days.
• Rarely, there may be some tearing of the thin skin under the breast.
• If you experience problems that do not go away after a few days, see your healthcare provider.
• If you have questions about your appointment or results, you can contact BreastCheck.

In the days after your mammogram, a radiologist (specialist doctor) will look at your mammogram images. After your mammogram, you and your healthcare provider will receive your results. Results will be either normal or abnormal. Information about breast density will also be included with your results.

Screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms use the same type of machine and a similar process to get the images.

Screening mammograms are for average-risk people who have no symptoms of breast cancer. BreastCheck offers screening mammograms for those aged 45 and over. Call 1-855-952-4325 to see if you are eligible to have a screening mammogram at BreastCheck.

Diagnostic mammograms are for people of all ages with symptoms of breast cancer or at increased risk of breast cancer. With diagnostic mammograms, more images may be taken to look at a specific area more closely or different tools may be used to compress the tissue in different ways.

Choosing to be screened for breast cancer is a personal choice. It is important to know the potential benefits and potential harms of screening to make a decision that fits with your values and preferences. For some people, the potential benefits of screening outweigh the potential harms and they will choose to be screened. For others, the potential harms of screening may outweigh the potential benefits and they will choose not to be screened.  The balance between the two may change as you age or if your personal risk factors change, for example an immediate family member is diagnosed with breast cancer.

To decide whether to have regular screening mammograms, it can be helpful to think about:

How might having a mammogram help me?

Regular screening mammograms can find breast cancer 2 to 3 years before it can be felt by you or your healthcare provider. When breast cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat, allow for more treatment options, and offer a better chance for a cure.

Cancer screening works best when it is done on a regular basis. Fewer people die from breast cancer when they have regular screening mammograms. Regular screening mammograms have been proven to reduce deaths from breast cancer in people age 50 to 74 by 20-30%. There is less evidence that screening is effective for people aged 75 and older and people younger than age 50.

Screening Mammogram for 1000 People Over 10 Years

Data from Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care—2024 Draft Recommendations—Decision Making Tools.

Screening Mammogram for 1000 People Over 10 Years

Data from Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care—2024 Draft Recommendations—Decision Making Tools.

^aAssumes people 50 to 59 started screening at age 50. If they started screening in their forties, it would be 286. 

Your risk of breast cancer increases with age. Eight out of ten breast cancers happen in people age 50 and over.

Age 40 to 44:

Screening mammograms will be an option at the end of 2026.  Breast cancer screening is a well-person check for people with average risk. If you are experiencing breast symptoms or have increased risk speak with your healthcare provider.

Age 45 to 49:

Some people in this age group may benefit from a screening mammogram every 2 years at BreastCheck.

Consider the potential benefits and potential harms of screening when deciding whether to screen. People in this age group are more likely to receive abnormal test results that require follow up tests. They are less likely to receive a cancer diagnosis. 

Information about the potential harms and potential benefits can be found on this webpage or talk with your healthcare provider. A doctor’s referral is not needed to get a mammogram at BreastCheck.

Age 50 to 74:

Regular screening mammograms are recommended every 2 years at BreastCheck.

Having regular mammograms in this age group has the greatest potential benefit for most people. A doctor’s referral is not needed.

Age 75 and Over:

Some people in this age group may benefit from a screening mammogram every 2 years at BreastCheck. Consider the potential benefits and potential harms of screening when deciding whether to screen. For people with certain health conditions, the potential benefits may not outweigh the potential harms of screening and they may choose not to be screened.

If you want to continue with screening, you can call BreastCheck for an appointment. No doctor referral necessary.

In the days after your mammogram, a radiologist (specialist doctor) will look at your mammogram images. After your mammogram, you and your healthcare provider will receive your results. Results will be either normal or abnormal. 

Most mammogram results are normal and you will be invited to return to BreastCheck in 2 years for another screening mammogram if you are still eligible for screening.

You may be asked to return in 1 year. The most common reasons for this are:

• You have an elevated risk based on your family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.
• The radiologist thinks it is best to return sooner based on their clinical assessment.
• It is your first mammogram and we do not have other mammograms to compare.

If you notice any changes to how your breasts normally look and feel, even if your last mammogram was normal, talk to your healthcare provider. 

Some mammogram results are abnormal or require further testing.  If you have an abnormal mammogram, BreastCheck will:

• Contact you by phone with your result and follow-up test appointment information. The next test(s) will be at a diagnostic imaging centre in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, or Morden/Winkler.
• Send you and your healthcare provider a letter with your result and follow-up test(s) information.

Most people who go for further tests will not have breast cancer.

Your mammogram result letter will also note your breast density. Breast density is how breast tissue appears on a mammogram image, it is not something you can see or feel. Breast tissue is made up of two types of tissue: dense tissue and fatty tissue. BreastCheck categorizes breast density into one of four categories:

1. almost all fatty tissue
2. mainly fatty tissue with some scattered areas of dense tissue
3. a mixture of fatty and dense tissue
4. almost entirely dense tissue

A person’s breast tissue may be called dense (category c or category d) if they have more dense tissue than fatty tissue. Breast density may make it harder to see breast cancer on a mammogram.

Learn more about breast density categories (pdf). 

Know what looks and feels normal for your breasts. See your health care provider if you notice any of these signs or symptoms:

• puckering of the breast tissue
• a change in the nipple
• new or bloody discharge
• change in the size, shape or colour of the breast tissue
• thickened hard skin that feels different than the rest of your breast tissue, or
• a new lump