Cancer screening is testing done on people who do not have any symptoms and generally feel fine.
Cancer screening tests can detect some types of cancer before you develop any symptoms. They can detect pre-cancerous changes before they become cancer and find cancer at an early stage.
Cancer that is diagnosed early is more likely to be treated successfully.
Speak with your health-care provider to learn more about your risk of getting cancer and which screening tests are right for you.
My Cancer IQ, a web-based tool from Cancer Care Ontario, helps you complete a cancer risk assessment. You can use this information to have a conversation with your health-care provider.
Breast cancer screening
Getting screened for breast cancer can help find a tumour before it grows larger. The Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) supports routine breast screening. We provide these breast cancer screening and diagnostic services at the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre.
Ontario Breast Screening Program
The Ontario Breast Screening Program is a province-wide screening program that aims to reduce breast cancer deaths through regular screening. Your age and family/personal medical history determined when you should get screened:
- People ages 40 to 74 at average risk for breast cancer (self-referral is accepted)
- People ages 30 to 69 at who may be at higher risk for breast cancer (referral by health-care provider is required)
The Ontario Breast Screening Program offers breast cancer screening to women, Two-Spirit people, trans people and non-binary people ages 40 to 74 with average risk who qualify for the program.
Eligibility criteria:
- Have no breast cancer symptoms
- Have no personal history of breast cancer
- Have not had a mastectomy (surgery to remove breast tissue)
- Have not had a screening mammogram within the last 11 months
- If transfeminine, have used feminizing hormones for at least five years in a row
If you are between the ages of 40 and 49, the OBSP recommends speaking with your physician, nurse practitioner or Health811 Navigator to decide whether breast cancer screening is right for you now.
Visit Cancer Care Ontario to learn more about screening for those aged 40-49.
If you are over the age of 74, you will need a referral from a physician in order to get screened.
To book an appointment for a screening mammogram at the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre, please contact: 416-586-4800 ext. 4422.
OBSP High Risk Screening Program
The OBSP High Risk Screening Program is a program for those aged 30 to 69, referred by a physician, who fall into one of the following higher risk categories:
- Have a gene mutation that increases your risk for breast cancer (for example, BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, PTEN, CDH1)
- Have a first-degree relative of someone with a gene mutation that increases your risk for breast cancer and have either had genetic counselling or decided not to have genetic testing
- Have been assessed by a genetics clinic as having a 25 per cent or higher lifetime risk of breast cancer based on personal and family
- A history of chest radiation therapy for another cancer or condition (like Hodgkin Lymphoma) before age 30 at least eight years ago
Speak with your primary care physician or nurse practitioner to be referred to this program.
Depending on the reason for the higher risk referral, you may first be contacted by our Navigator or Genetics Counsellor for additional information.
Cervical cancer screening
Regular screening, follow-up of abnormal test results and being vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) help prevent cervical cancer.
Speak with your health-care provider to learn more about cervical cancer screening. You can also find more information about how to get screened for cervical cancer on Cancer Care Ontario.
Colorectal cancer screening
Screening can find colorectal cancer early on. When it is found early enough, patients with colorectal cancer have a 90 per cent chance of being cured. The type of screening test you need depends on your risk of getting colorectal cancer.
You qualify for screening if you are between 50 and 74 years old or if you have a parent, sibling or child who has had colorectal cancer. You can find more information about how to get screened for colorectal cancer and the types of screening available on Cancer Care Ontario.
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is an at home screening test for people at average risk of getting colorectal cancer. You can get this screening test from your primary health-care provider.
The Mount Sinai Colorectal Diagnostic Assessment Program supports patients who have had a positive FIT test, are deemed higher risk due to family/personal medical history or persons newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Other cancer screening
For additional information about other types of cancer screening, please visit the Cancer Care Ontario website.
