Australian breast cancer
December 8, 2011
BREASTSCREEN Australia is
making a difference, having
reached 1.6 million Australian
women between 2008 and 2009.
According to the latest
BreastScreen Australia monitoring
report 2008–2009, of the 1.6m
women who had a screening
mammogram during the 12 month
period, 1.3m fell into the program’s
target age group of between 50-69.
The 1.3m figure represents 55%
of women aged 50-69 who were
targeted by the program.
“Women aged 50-69 are targeted
because this group has a relatively
high number of cases of breast
cancer, and screening
mammography is known to be
effective in reducing deaths in this
age group,” said AIHW
spokesperson, Chris Sturrock.
The report also found that during
2007, there were 6,297 new cases
of breast cancer and 1,085
deaths—equivalent to 274 new
cases and 47 deaths per 100,000
women.
Nearly two-thirds of all breast
cancers detected by BreastScreen
Australia were small.
“Small breast cancers are
associated with better treatment
options and improved survival,”
Sturrock said.
Interestingly the report
championed the program’s success,
saying that since BreastScreen
Australia’s launch in 1991, breast
cancer deaths have decreased
from 68 to 47 deaths per 100,000
women, for women aged 50–69.
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