2707 women died of
breast cancer in 2005 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 9 by age 85)
Breast cancer rates are 5 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 5 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%.
This can be attributed
to advances in early detection and treatment.
Risk factors for
breast cancer include: