The first breast cancer ribbon wasn't pink. In 1992, a 68-year-old Californian named Charlotte Haley tied peach ribbons by hand. Her grandmother, sister and daughter had all had breast cancer.

Each ribbon came with a card: "Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon." When a magazine editor and the cosmetics executive Evelyn Lauder asked to use it, Haley said no. She thought it was too commercial. So they changed the colour, and that autumn Estée Lauder counters handed out 1.5 million pink ribbons.

In October, the breast cancer news you'll see shared most is about a vaccine. The news you can actually act on is quieter. In Ontario, you can now book your own mammogram from age 40, and women at high risk can start at 30.

Breast screening in Ontario, by age
30 to 69, high risk A mammogram and an MRI every year. Your doctor must refer you.
40 to 49 A mammogram, usually every two years. Book it yourself.
50 to 74 A mammogram, usually every two years. Book it yourself, or wait for a letter.

Should you start screening at 40?

Experts still disagree. In 2024, Canada's national screening panel drafted advice saying women in their forties didn't need routine mammograms. The Canadian Cancer Society pushed for 40 instead. The panel's final advice never came out, and Ottawa put the panel on hold in 2025.

Ontario went ahead and opened screening to women in their forties in October 2024. Both sides of the debate have a point. Earlier screening finds some cancers sooner. It also brings more callbacks and more biopsies of lumps that turn out to be harmless. Rules differ by province, so check yours.

If you're in your thirties

Ask about your family history. A mother or sister diagnosed young, a BRCA gene change in the family, or chest radiation as a teenager can put you in the high-risk group. That means screening a decade earlier than your friends, but only if a doctor refers you. So ask for it by name.

You already track your sleep and your steps. The mammogram has decades of solid research behind it, which is more than most of the gadgets on your wrist can claim.

The vaccine, honestly

The vaccine comes from the Cleveland Clinic and a company called Anixa Biosciences. It trains the immune system to attack a protein that the breast normally makes only while breastfeeding, and which also shows up in many triple-negative tumours. The goal is to stop cancer before it starts.

Its first trial, finished in December 2025, only tested safety. It found a safe dose, and about three in four volunteers had the immune response researchers hoped for. It didn't test whether the vaccine prevents cancer. A second trial is planned but hadn't started by this month.

Haley wanted her ribbon to make people act. In Ontario, the action is a booking you can make yourself, and nobody will make it for you.

For support, visit the Canadian Cancer Society or the Ontario Breast Screening Program.

Questions readers ask

How many Canadians get breast cancer?

About 32,400 Canadian women will be diagnosed in 2026, roughly 89 a day, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It makes up about a quarter of all new cancers in women, and about 5,400 women will die of it this year.

I have dense breasts. Do I need extra scans?

Experts disagree. Dense tissue can hide cancer on a mammogram, so Dense Breasts Canada recommends an extra ultrasound or MRI. Official reviews found too little proof to offer that to everyone. Ask your doctor about your own risk.

Can men get breast cancer?

Yes. About 300 Canadian men will be diagnosed this year. Men aren't screened, so a lump near the nipple, nipple discharge or skin changes on the chest should be checked by a doctor quickly.

This article is for information and does not replace advice from your doctor.

Sources

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