Fast Facts

• Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in Australian women
• Every day in Australia, over 30 women discover they have breast cancer
• Currently in Australia, 100 000 women, their families and friends have had to cope or are still coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer and its consequences
• 11,400 people (11,314 women and 86 men) were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000.
• 4,067 people (4,031 females and 36 men) in NSW were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001.
• 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.