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Fast Facts - Breast Cancer

Breast  Cancer Statistics - 10/2/2008

South Australian Statistics
  • 1,010 South Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005; 

  • 241 South Australian women died of breast cancer in 2005 and it represented about 17 per cent of all cancer deaths among SA women;

  • Breast cancer-specific mortality has fallen by more than 25 per cent for all ages between 1991-1992 and 2003-2005;

  • Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in females in 2005;

  • Breast, lung and colorectal cancer have similar mortality rates among females;

  • The risk of breast cancer before the age of 75 for South Australian women is 1 in 12;

  • Women participating in mammography screening by BreastScreen SA reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by up to 41 per cent;

Sources: Major Cancers in South Australia 1977-2005, Cancer Registry SA, The Department of Health. Cancer in South Australia 2005, with projections to 2008, Cancer Registry SA, The Department of Health. Efficacy of population based screening in Australia, 2007, Cancer Registry SA.

 

General Statistics

  • About 12,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year;

  • About 2,700 women die of breast cancer each year and it is the most common cause of cancer death;

  • One in 11 women in Australia will develop breast cancer by the age of 75 (1 in 8 by age 85);

  • In 2001, 95 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia, accounting for less than one per cent of breast cancers diagnosed that year. Breast cancer in men occurs more commonly in those aged 50 years and older;

  • Breast cancer rates are five per cent higher among women living in metropolitan areas compared with women living in rural areas;

  • Breast cancer is also more common among women residing in high socio-economic areas;

  • Breast cancer rates are slightly lower among women born overseas compared with Australian born women;

  • Around five per cent of breast cancers are familial (due to inherited genetic mutations);

  • Rates of breast cancer have increased over the past two decades, most of this increase has occurred since the introduction of mammography in the early 1990s. At the same time death rates from breast cancer have declined over this period;

  • The survival rate for breast cancer is the highest of all women’s cancer at 85 per cent;

  • This can be attributed to advances in early detection and treatment;

  • Risk factors for breast cancer include:
    • family history of breast cancer
    • not having had any children or having children at a later age
    • being overweight
    • high alcohol intake
    • prolonged use of some types of HRT.

 




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