Grant: Project Grant - PA - Breast Cancer Prevention & Early Detection

Nearly one in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetimes. Population screening programs for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancers have been shown to decrease mortality by detecting cancers in earlier stages when treatment is more effective. Despite the benefits, screening participation and retention rates remain sub-optimal in most Canadian jurisdictions, including in British Columbia (BC). For instance, overall participation in the breast cancer screening in BC is only 50%, below the national target level of 70%. Cancer disparities exist in certain populations namely individuals living in low-income neighborhood. The multi-factorial nature of cancer disparities, reflecting an interplay between personal, social, and cultural factors, as well as disparities in access to healthcare resources and utilization of cancer screening programs, requires provincial efforts to identify and systematically address inequities in cancer system. Screening participation is likely affected by barriers at three levels: 1) patient level (e.g., socio-demographic characteristics), 2) primary care physician level (e.g., wait time), and 3) health system level (e.g., access to screening sites). Since a full-scale organized lung screening program was launched in May 2022 in BC, a comprehensive understanding of specific barriers and underlying health inequities in cancer screening is critical. The overall goal of this research program is to develop unique analytical approaches to study screening patterns using BC Cancer's Screening Information System, to identify barriers to the screening participation and retention, especially among marginalized populations and undeserved communities at patient, physician, and health-system levels using linked administrative health data, and to engage stakeholders through knowledge translation. This research program will generate actionable data to improve screening utilization and reduce health inequities.