Breast cancer patient says she had to lie to get a mammogram in Ontario

CTV National News: A life saving lie With some provinces having restrictive mammogram policies in place - Adrian Ghobrial reports on a woman's efforts to get screened.

When an Ontario doctor refused to sign off on a mammogram for 38-year-old Sidra Lone, the mother of four says she was left with no choice but to lie.

“The doctor, she asked me, ‘Do you have a family history’ (of breast cancer)?’ I lied to her and said I do, ‘my two aunts have breast cancer.’”

That lie finally led to a mammogram and a shocking diagnosis in February.

Speaking to CTV News from her home in Oshawa, Ont., Lone shared that “the subtype (of breast cancer) I have is triple negative, it’s the aggressive type of breast cancer. When my oncologist heard my story she said to me, ‘You just saved your own life do you know that?’”

Next week, Ontario will join BC, Saskatchewan, and Atlantic Canada in granting women as young as 40 a mammogram if they request one. In Alberta and Manitoba, the minimum age is 45. Quebec is currently reviewing its policy.

But at 38, Lone wouldn't have qualified anywhere in the country for a mammogram. Before she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, Lone didn’t have any symptoms. A physical inspection by a doctor revealed nothing.

In her personal and professional life as an educational assistant, Lone says she kept meeting younger and younger women who had breast cancer. Something inside of her was pushing her to go back to the doctor to get checked, she said.

“I think if I would have waited until I was 40, I would have been dead by now. I don't think I'd be sitting here. You wouldn't be interviewing me,” said Lone.

A recent study has revealed that over the last three decades, there has been a 12.5 per cent increase in breast cancer diagnoses for women in their 30s. Dr. Jean Seely is one of the researchers behind the study. She says that, while breast cancer rates among women under 40 without symptoms or a family history of cancer are relatively low, mammograms should be available to people who request them.

“We should be judging each case individually. We’re not going to recommend widespread population-based screening, but we shouldn't be denying women the opportunity to get a screened mammogram if they really choose to have that,” says Seely.

The Ontario Minister of Health’s office told CTV News in a statement that by lowering the age of self-referred mammograms from 50 to 40 they “will connect an additional 305,000 Ontarians to important screening services, ensuring breast cancer is detected and treated sooner.”

Dr. Seely is quick to point out that while mammograms do save lives, they’re not perfect. They can pick up many different types of cancer, but it can be a challenge for younger women with “dense breasts.”

“If we have women with dense breast tissue, or we have women with a strong family history and dense breast tissue, we should be putting them in the high-risk screening program. Which means they should get the mammography plus an MRI or ultrasound,” Dr. Seely said.

Lone, who’s been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, believes more must be done to help women, such as herself, under the age of 40.

“I’m not advocating lying, but I’m advocating that the health system should look into my case,” says Lone.

Since speaking out, the 38-year-old says she's received hate-filled messages from individuals claiming she jumped the line to get a mammogram and chastising her for lying. Lone's message to those people is, “We must raise our voices to save our lives.”