Around 1.2 million women aged 50-69 years of age (56.2% of all
women in this age group) took advantage of free mammograms in
2004-2005 through the BreastScreen Australia Program, according to
the ninth national monitoring report on the Program released today
by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
In the meantime, death rates from breast cancer continued to
fall, from 30 per 100,000 women in 1990 to around 23 per 100,000 in
2005.
The decline has been even greater in the Program's target age
group of 50-69 years, with the death rate falling from 69 per
100,000 women in 1990 to 52 per 100,000 in 2005.
Ms Christine Sturrock of the Institute's Health Registers and
Cancer Monitoring Unit said, 'Breast cancer screening is
recommended every two years for women in this age bracket and
BreastScreen Australia aims to screen at least 70% of the eligible
women in each 2-year period.'
The BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2004-2005
shows that, although participation was just 56% in 2004-2005, once
women commence screening, they tend to do so regularly. In
2004-2005 70% of women who were screened initially returned two
years later for a second screen, and 81% of these returned for
further screens.
More than half of the 3,680 invasive breast cancers detected by
the Screening Program in 2005 were small diameter cancers.
There were also 925 cases detected in 2005 of the pre-invasive
condition, ductal carcinoma in situ. This condition involves
changes in the cells lining the breast ducts, which may then
develop into invasive breast cancer if left untreated.
'Regular screening to detect breast cancers while they are small
is particularly important because there is a very high chance of
successful treatment when the cancer is at an early stage,' Ms
Sturrock said.
In total, 12,126 new cases of invasive breast cancer were
diagnosed in Australia in 2004.
Death rates from breast cancer continue to fall, with 2,719
deaths in 2005.
The BreastScreen Australia Program is a joint initiative of the
Australian, and state and territory governments.
The invasive breast cancers detected by this program account for
almost one third of the total number of new cases diagnosed in
Australia.
Friday 6 June 2008
Further information: Ms Christine Sturrock, 02
6244 1118, or mob. 0407 915 851.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for the availability of the BreastScreen Australia
monitoring report 2004-2005.