The P.E.I. government announced Wednesday it is spending $835,000 to enhance its breast cancer screening program, but wait times will get worse before they get better.
'That study did conclude digital mammography was the best choice.'— Jamie MacDonald, technical director of diagnostic imaging
The bulk of the money will go to new digital mammography machines for Prince County Hospital in Summerside and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.
Jamie MacDonald, the province's technical director of diagnostic imaging, told CBC News the new machines will mean fewer re-takes, because the digital machines allow for zooming in and cropping images, something that can't be done on the film-based machines now being used. And one study has shown digital mammography makes it easier to detect cancer.
"Digital imaging for mammography, at least when we're looking at quality, is at least as good," said MacDonald.
"In some cases when we look at patients, younger patients, with very glandular or very dense breasts, and peri-menopausal or pre-menopausal women, that study did conclude digital mammography was the best choice."
Radiologist leaving
MacDonald said the new machines will eventually help improve wait times for routine screening mammograms, but in the short term wait times will increase because P.E.I. is losing one of its radiologists at the end of August.
"We are trying to minimize that impact by continuing to bring in locum support, as we have for the last year for mammography," she said.
"Once we move to digital mammography, then [we can] look at how we can transmit those images off Island for further support there as well."
The current wait time for a routine screening mammogram at the QEH is close to five months.
MacDonald is not sure how much that will increase in the next few months, but hopes the new machines will be in place by the end of the year to help shorten the wait.
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