Fast Facts

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Australian women, accounting for 27% of all cancer diagnoses in 2007
• Every day in Australia, over 38 women discover they have breast cancer
• Currently in Australia, over 130 000 women, their families and friends have had to cope or are still coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer and its consequences
• By 2015, the number of new breast cancer cases among women is projected to be 22% higher than in 2006, with an estimated 15,409 women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer
• The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia increased from 5291 in 1982 to 12,567 in 2007. Further information is available from the national breast and ovarian cancer centre (NBOCC)
• About 1 in 10 women in NSW will develop breast cancer by age 74 years
• 9 out of 10 women who get breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease
• Age is the biggest risk factor in developing breast cancer – over 70% of cases occur in women over 50 years
• Women aged 50–69 who have a breast screen every two years can reduce their chance of dying from breast cancer by at least 30%
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women aged over 35 years - 29% of all cancers diagnosed
• Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer for NSW women - 862 deaths in 2001
• The average age of diagnosis of breast cancer in women is 59 years
• During the period 1994 to 1998, the five year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer was 85 %
• Although we know of many factors that contribute to the risk of women getting breast cancer, the cause remains unknown.