And in Quebec alone, more than 6,600 cases are diagnosed each year, of which 1,000 cases are reported as fatal. This represents 25 per cent of all cancer cases in women reported in 2020 according to the Canadian Cancer Society. This can be translated as one in eight women.

Breast tissue covers an area that extends up to the collarbone, including the area from the armpit to the breastbone. Typically it begins in the cells of the mammary gland, but may also start within the lobules [the little pockets that can easily be felt beneath the skin].

In a Statistics Canada report indicating that women over 50 years of age account for 83 per cent of reported cases, the following are listed as top risk factors that predispose women to develop the disease:

History of a mother, sister or daughter having been diagnosed with breast cancer or other types of cancer before menopause.

The presence of mutation on the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes [inherited gene mutations that are passed on from a parent to a child].

Abnormal cells shown in biopsies from past breast disorders.

Having a first full-term pregnancy after the age of 30, or not having had a full-term pregnancy at all.

Obesity and physical inactivity in post-menopausal women.

Menstruating at an early age.

Having begun menopause later than the average age.

Having been on hormone replacement therapy for more than five years.

Alcohol consumption.

Together with The Canadian Cancer Society, the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation are the two leading organizations in funding breast cancer research.

Screening tests for breast cancer are instrumental in the early detection before any symptoms develop. When found and treated early, there is a better chance of successfully treating the disease.

In 1998 the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux launched its breast screening program the Programme Québécois de dépistage du cancer du sein( PQDCS)

Once voluntarily enrolled in this program, reminders are automatically sent and the patient is required to book their own appointments.

Mammography, which uses a low-dose x-ray of the breast, is a key tool in early detection.

Regular self-examinations are also beneficial. Some of the things to look for in self-examination include a mass or lump, a retraction of the skin where the skin or nipple is pulled inward, the skin takes on the look of an orange peel or a redness appears over more than one third of the breast, fluid coming from the nipple or what might look like eczema rash that does not get better. If any of these are detected, one should not hesitate in contacting their family physician.

While self-examination is a detection tool used in discovering changes that could indicate the presence of breast cancer, it is not a method that reduces breast cancer deaths and not recommended as a screening method, according to the Quebec Government.

Though appointments for screening were cancelled during the pandemic, they are now beginning to gradually and safely resume.

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