Canadian doctors are using 'outdated' guidelines to screen for cancer, experts warn

A group of medical experts say Canadian lives are at risk because family doctors are using outdated guidelines to decide whether, and when, to send their patients for routine cancer screenings.

A group of cancer experts say Canadian national screening guidelines are a decade out of date, which is leading to people getting diagnosed later, when they are more difficult to treat.

Despite new evidence from Canada and around the world about the benefits of screening women at younger ages, Wilkinson said the task force continues to weigh outdated data when making its recommendations.

The Canadian Urological Association has criticized that advice since it was issued in 2014; it argues that trials show screening reduces prostate cancer deaths by up to 44 per cent.

The task force also doesn't offer different guidelines for screening based on a patient's ethnicity, despite research that shows some populations are diagnosed with certain cancers at earlier ages.

A member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care says the panel needs to balance the risk of over-diagnosis when determining its screening recommendations.