Months-long waits for breast biopsies 'unacceptable,' says B.C. doctor
Three months after Kristina Tanner was told she needed a biopsy to determine if she had breast cancer, the procedure finally happened this week.
But the wait for the 69-year-old Vancouver resident, whose mother died of breast cancer three years ago, has been stressful.
“It’s very upsetting because it’s always hanging over you,” she said.
“You can’t help but think, what if it’s spreading as I speak?’”
Waits like the one Tanner faced have prompted Dr. Paula Gordon to sound the alarm – though it’s not something B.C.’s Ministry of Health appears interested in addressing.
Gordon, a clinical professor in UBC’s Department of Radiology, says wait times for breast biopsies are “unacceptable.”
“Of the biopsies I did this week, most of them were (waiting) in the 12- to 13-week range,” she said.
“It’s really unbearable for some women to wait any length of time, but months?”
While she said that for most women, a couple months doesn’t make a difference, for some, the time gap is critical.
“If people are waiting this long to get a necessary test when they might have a cancer – and it might even be a fast-moving cancer – then we clearly don’t have enough resources dealing with it,” she said.
Gordon is calling for more resources and more clinics to offer biopsies for patients waiting to rule our or confirm a breast cancer diagnosis.
“We’re really in trouble now, like so much else in the health-care system. They need to start working on a fix.”
CTV News began contacting the Ministry of Health Wednesday regarding the wait times. To date, the ministry has provided no response.
It’s expected that more than 4,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in B.C. this year. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
Last year, Tanner needed surgery to remove pre-cancerous cells.
A mammogram in January raised new concerns and she’s been waiting for answers ever since.
Late Friday afternoon, Tanner finally received some good news: The biopsy determined the cells are benign.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.