HALIFAX — A Liberal member of the Nova Scotia legislature is pushing for the province to provide supplementary breast cancer screening for women with dense breasts.

Rafah DiCostanzo has introduced the Find It Early Act, which would have the government pay for more detailed cancer screenings of women with dense breasts, which put them at a higher risk of the disease.

DiCostanzo was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in the spring of 2023 that was not detected on an earlier mammogram.

She says dense breast tissue makes it harder for mammograms to detect tumours.

The 61-year-old says supplementary screening using more advanced technologies can save lives and help people avoid traumatic surgeries and difficult chemotherapy treatment.

DiCostanzo says she and other women feel they’ve been failed by the Nova Scotia health system, which they say needs to change its approach to breast cancer detection. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press