Canadian Breast Cancer Network once again calls for national standards for breast cancer testing

 

"A huge system failure needs a huge system change that includes input from breast cancer survivors" is the unanimous response of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) to recent news that hundreds of Quebec women may have received erroneous breast cancer test results. A study conducted in 25 labs by the Quebec Pathologists Association exposed that tests identifying markers for hormone therapy were wrong in 15 per cent to 20 per cent of cases, and for protein markers for the HER2 protein, up to 30 per cent were incorrect.

 

CBCN President Diana Ermel says: 'Given the errors in Newfoundland and Labrador and now in Quebec, it is evident that this is not a regional problem - it is a national one. CBCN therefore calls for urgent action to implement systemic changes, with the establishment of uniform standards in Canada as a necessary first step to begin to restore confidence in the medical system in this country by women diagnosed with breast cancer and their families. We know that Canadian pathologists are working diligently to advance national laboratory standards and we applaud their efforts."  

 

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network also recommends that breast cancer survivors be included in any and all committees, commissions, and oversight bodies established nationally and in the provinces and territories to set standards and to ensure that women's lives are not jeopardized by flawed testing leading to incorrect results.

 

Ermel says: "These events are a betrayal of trust for women. For the 22,000 + women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, these events are adding doubt about test results for women already facing enormous stress."

 

Breast cancer survivors on the Board of  the Canadian Breast Cancer Network wonder if the full extent of the damage to women with breast cancer in will ever be known, and want to ensure that the experiences of nearly 400 women and men in Newfoundland and Labrador and now hundreds in Quebec are never repeated again here in Canada. 

 

There are more than 160,000 Canadian women alive today who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Each year, there are 22,000 more newly diagnosed cases, and about 5,000 Canadian women die from breast cancer each year.  Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, and one in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.

 

About CBCN

 

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) is the only national survivor-driven and survivor-focused organization in the breast cancer sector, and is the voice of breast cancer survivors in Canada. It represents the concerns of over 225 member organizations across Canada, as well as those of all Canadians affected by breast cancer and those at risk. The CBCN's main goals are to improve access to quality breast cancer care for all Canadians and expand the influence of breast cancer survivors in all aspects of the breast cancer decision-making process. For more information about CBCN, please visit www.cbcn.ca <http://www.cbcn.ca/> .

 

 

 

Jackie Manthorne

Executive Director/Directrice générale

Canadian Breast Cancer Network

Réseau canadien du cancer du sein

331, rue Cooper Street, Suite 300

Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5

613-230-3044 ext. 222

Fax/Téléc: 613-230-4424

1-800-685-8820

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www.cbcn.ca

 

 


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