Key statistics
Detailed figures on breast cancer and breast cancer screening in Australia.
- Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women in Australia.
- Age is the biggest risk factor in developing the disease. Over 75 per cent of breast cancers occur in women 50 years and over.
- Nine out of 10 women who get breast cancer DON’T have a family history of breast cancer.
- The lifetime risk of women developing breast cancer before age 75 years is one in 11.
- From 1993 onwards, there has been a steady decline in the age-standardised mortality rates for women in the target age group of 50-69 years. The mortality rate for these women in 1989 was 66.7 deaths per 100,000 women; in 2005 the corresponding figure was 51.8.
- In 2004-2005, 1,614,871 women participated in BreastScreen Australia screening. Of these women, 1,188,720 (74%) were in the screening program target age group of 50 to 69 years.
- The program's aim is to achieve a participation rate of 70% among women aged 50-69 years. At present, the program is screening 56.2% of women in this age group.
- In 2004, there were 3,680 invasive cancers detected by BreastScreen Australia.
- BreastScreen Australia operates in over 500 locations nationwide via fixed, relocatable and mobile screening units.
Sources:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report, 2004-2005 (June 2008)
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2006 (June 2007)
Page currency, Latest update: 10 July, 2008