B.C. residents feel under prepared to deal with breast cancer, survey says

As World Cancer Research Day arrives on Saturday a new survey by Breast Cancer Canada shows a disconnect between what British Columbians know about the disease and the latest research available.

Approximately 28,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Despite this pervasive disease, 87 per cent of BC residents diagnosed with breast cancer felt unprepared when they or a loved one received their diagnosis. This is according to The Know More Breast Cancer survey.

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of B.C. women feel that they have more to learn about breast cancer and how it could affect them.
On a positive note, two-thirds of B.C. residents (65 per cent) feel that their doctors are informed with the best or latest treatment information and 58 per cent feel they have experienced the best and latest cancer treatment available, either personally or someone they know.  

Increasing our understanding of breast cancer research starts with making information more accessible. There were 83 per cent of British Columbians who were unable to even provide an approximate guess when asked if they knew how many known types of breast cancer there are – astonishingly, there are over 50 types.

“Any cancer diagnosis feels earth-shattering,” Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada, said. “We are committed to demystifying research and information so that people feel less afraid when they, or a loved one, receives an unexpected diagnosis. Given that one in eight women in Canada will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, the results from our Angus Reid poll were shocking to see.”   

The survey was conducted to get a benchmark of Canadian’s knowledge and awareness of breast cancer and clearly there is an opportunity for Canadians to know more about the disease that affects everyone. 

Table 1: Knowledge and understanding of breast cancer

Table 2: Women’s knowledge of breast cancer