Finland: Changing the screening age goes through women's political networks

In Finland, the breast cancer association Europa Donna Finland works with strategic lobbying to get the screening age changed from the current 50-69 years to 45-74 years, which is the latest recommendation from the EU.

"We started this year by contacting female politicians in parliament and talking in their network about a change in the screening age. We knew that there was already a focus among some politicians on raising the screening age from 69 to 74, so we continued to work on lowering the age at the other end as well," says Ana Niemi from Europa Donna Finland.

In the spring, Europa also invited Donna Finland to a large meeting, where they presented, among other things, a study they had done to find out how long it takes to get a diagnosis when you are screened and when you are not screened. Based on the study, they made a manifesto which was sent to decision-makers, and the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat also published it on the debate pages.

"The study shows that if you find the cancer via screening, you will receive treatment within a month. But if you find a nodule yourself, it takes up to three months to get an examination and receive treatment. And for 20 percent of those who found a nodule themselves, it took more than three months. That is why it is important to have the age limit extended. With the screening, we can find the cancer faster and you may be able to avoid chemotherapy and have a better quality of life," she explains.

New government

But then the election came and changed the political picture. The government with the young Prime Minister Sanna Marin had to resign, and shortly before the summer holidays, the new government was finally in place. No one knows how high health efforts are on the political agenda, explains Anu Niemi:

"The new government has only just come into place here before the summer holidays. All cancer organizations are currently waiting to see what the new government will do. It doesn't immediately look like cancer has the political priority we had hoped for," says Anu Niemi and continues:

“We have a health crisis now; we lack nurses, we have a reform in the healthcare system that has been a long time coming and after Covid it is difficult to get appointments for examinations. In addition, last year we started screening for colon cancer, and lung cancer screening is also being talked about. So I think the most important thing is that we can keep a conversation going about how important it is that breast screening be expanded. There is an expert group looking at our proposal, so I'm a little bit optimistic, but it's probably going to take time. Right now it is our job to keep the focus on the subject," says Anu Niemi. The association has 1800 members and an increasing number of members.