Federal Health Minister Mark Holland has paused the work of the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care, which has faced criticism for not lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age to 40.
The task force, an independent federally appointed body that sets national guidelines for health screenings, has faced criticism from medical professionals for its “outdated screening guidelines.”
Experts argue that by not lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age from 50 to 40 — something provinces have already begun doing as data shows more cases of cancer in younger age groups — hundreds of Canadians are needlessly suffering and dying.
On Tuesday, Holland announced a temporary pause on the work the task force does.
“The Task Force has an important mandate and its work includes updates to guidelines in several areas, including breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, interventions for tobacco cessation and screening for depression in children and adults,” Holland stated in a media release.
Holland has previously expressed his “disappointment” in the task force’s decision to keep Canada’s recommended routine breast cancer screening age at 50.
In May, he called for an external review of the body.
The External Expert Review of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care launched in October 2024.
“I recently met with the Chair of the External Expert Review panel and I was informed that the panel has concluded their evidence gathering and are now finalizing a robust set of recommendations to modernize and improve the Task Force,” Holland stated.
Considering these concerns, Holland said he has asked the Public Health Agency of Canada to pause the task force until the review panel finalizes its work and its recommendations can be fully assessed.
This should be expected by the end of March.
“The panel will make these recommendations to the Public Health Agency of Canada to modernize the work of the Task Force and ensure it provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to primary care providers,” he said.
“This will ensure preventive health care guidelines meet the needs of Canada’s health care system and support the well-being of Canadians.”
Despite pushback, the task force has previously said it holds firm on its position not to lower the recommended age to 40 from 50 due to concerns of over-diagnosis and unnecessary biopsies leading to anxiety among patients.
It added that if people aged 40 and over understand the benefits and risks of early screening and still wish to proceed, they should be able to get a mammogram every two to three years.
Following Holland’s announcement, Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) said it welcomed the temporary pause on the task force’s work.
“Today’s announcement is a positive step toward ensuring that breast cancer screening guidelines reflect the best available science and expertise,” Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada, said in a statement.
“BCC anticipates the expert panel’s forthcoming recommendations and strongly advocates for a Task Force structure that prioritizes evidence-based, expert-led decision-making to improve breast cancer care in Canada.”