Central East Regional Cancer Program Launches New Cancer Screening Website

At the height of the pandemic in 2021, Dianne Saunders was diagnosed with spindle cell type metaplastic breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of the disease.

“It was a difficult time for accessing cancer screening,” said Dianne. “You didn’t know who was open and who wasn’t, it was tough.”

The Oshawa native says she was fortunate to have accessed the services in her community at the Durham Regional Cancer Centre (DRCC) based at Lakeridge Health. It was here, with her care team at the DRCC, where Dianne found tremendous comfort and support.

“I felt a lot of anxiety during this time,” she recounted. “I couldn’t have anyone come in with me, which was very difficult. The team in the DRCC cared so much for me.”

After an aggressive round of chemotherapy followed by a mastectomy, Dianne has been declared cancer free, but she continues to monitor her body. She says her experience has inspired her to advocate for early cancer screening.

In Durham Region, more than 218,000 people are overdue for cancer screening or have never been screened at all. This means that many people could potentially be living with cancer and are unaware.

“Unfortunately, many people in Durham Region have not resumed their usual screening since the pandemic,” said Dr. Rebecca Wray, primary care physician and Cancer Screening Lead for the Central East Regional Cancer Program. “If you wait until you can feel that lump, the cancer is usually advanced and it’s much harder to treat. Early detection of cancer is key to a positive health outcome.”

Dr. Wray urges Durham Region residents to make cancer screening part of their wellness routines.

“It’s the same as exercising and eating a healthy diet because pro-active screening can lead to longer, healthier lives,” said Dr. Wray.

In Ontario, cancer screening is available to check for breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer for people who meet certain eligibility requirements. To make it easier and encourage more people to get their cancer screening done, the Central East Regional Cancer Program launched a new cancer screening and prevention website at cercp.ca.

This centralized community resource includes information related to when and where to get screened in Durham Region. The website also contains helpful information on how to lower your overall cancer risk.

For the thousands of Ontarians who need their cancer screening, this website offers tremendous value.

“Having all the information in one place would have made things so much easier for me,” said Dianne. “I’m glad they decided to do this.”

Through her own cancer journey, Dianne has now become a supporter of Dense Breasts Canada, an organization that helps to raise awareness of the impact of breast density and cancer risk. She also advises everyone to pay attention to their bodies, get screened early, and watch for signs of change.

“Anything that doesn't feel right, investigate it,” said Dianne. “There is some anxiety while waiting for your results, but it's a big relief to know once you receive those results, especially if everything is okay.”

If you do not have a primary care provider, you can still receive cancer screening. Find out how at cercp.ca.