Key statistics
Detailed figures on breast cancer and breast cancer screening in Australia.
- Breast cancer is the second 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 69.0 deaths per 100,000 women; in 2007 the corresponding figure was 47.0.
- In 2007-2008, 1,641,316 women participated in BreastScreen Australia screening. Of these women, 1,273,403 (78%) 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 54.9% of women in this age group.
- In 2008 there were 4,289 invasive cancers detected by BreastScreen Australia of which 3,392 (79.1% of whom were aged 50-69 years.
- 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, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 (August 2010)Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Cancer in Australia 2010: an overview
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