What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and multiply out of control. Breast cancer originates in the lobules (small lobes of the breast that produce milk) or more commonly the ducts (that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple) of the breast. Breast cancer can be confined to the lobules or ducts of the breast, in which case it is called lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or it can have spread to the surrounding breast tissue, in which case it is called invasive breast cancer.
Why screen for breast cancer?
Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Australian women, with 13,500 new cases diagnosed in 2008 and almost 2,700 deaths in 2007. Although much research has been conducted into all aspects of this disease, there is still no clear answer as to the cause of breast cancer and as yet no means for preventing the disease.
The aim of organised breast cancer screening is to detect cases of unsuspected breast cancer in women who show no obvious symptoms, which enables intervention when the cancer is at an early stage. Finding breast cancer early often means that the cancer is small; small breast cancers are associated with increased treatment options and improved survival.
BreastScreen Australia
- BreastScreen Australia commenced in 1991, and provides free screening mammograms to women. BreastScreen Australia targets women aged 50–69 years of age, but women aged 40 years and older are also eligible to attend.
- AIHW monitors and reports on the performance of BreastScreen Australia. The latest publication, the BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2008-2009, was released in December 2011.
Further information
For further details or comments, e-mail .
For more information on BreastScreen Australia please see www.cancerscreening.gov.au.