The provincial government is lowering the age for recommended breast screening from 50 to between the ages of 40 and 49.

The change comes as the result of new national guidelines recently published by the Canadian Cancer Society following a review of evidence and consultation with breast cancer experts and patients.

By lowering the age, the Department of Health expects another 24,000 people to become eligible for the Provincial Breast Screening Program.

The department says lowering the age will help lead to early detection of cancerous cells to allow for timely intervention and treatment and improve outcomes.

Patients will be able to self-refer rather than have to wait for a referral from a health care provider.

The provincial government is working with NL Health Services to ensure the proper resources are in place to accommodate additional patients.

Health Minister Tom Osborne says lowering the recommended age will help ensure that people who want to have screening can do so without placing an extra burden on primary health care providers.

Dr. Jean Seely of the University of Ottawa has long advocated for breast cancer screening at the age of 40.

She says the key is early detection, before it can be felt.

“The problem is that women in their 40s, and even some younger women, we’ve seen an increasing incidence of breast cancer in those women, but because they are not in a screening program, they are paying a very heavy penalty of having a later stage diagnosis of breast cancer, and unfortunately, having a higher rate of dying from breast cancer.”

“In fact,” says Dr. Seely, “it’s the number one cause of death in women under the age of 50.”