Statistics & Info

One in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, accounting for 28% of all cancer cases in 2006.
Increasing age is one of the strongest risk factors for developing breast cancer.
Breast cancer can occur in younger women, but about three out of four breast cancer cases occur in women aged 50 years and older.
About one in 250 women in their 30s will develop breast cancer in the next ten years. This compares to about one in 30 for women in their 70s.
Eight out of nine women who develop breast cancer do not have an affected mother, sister or daughter

Ovarian cancer is the 9th most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women, and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecological cancer.
One in 77 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 85.
The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. About 81% of all new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2006 were in women 50 years or older.
Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cause of cancer death in Australian women.
A total of 795 women died from ovarian cancer in Australia in 2006.

Family History Statistics

Approximately 1 in 500 women in the general population carry a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2
1 in 5 women of ashkenzi jewish ancestry carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
Known high risk genes account for less than 5% of all breast cancer and 10-15% of all ovarian cancer cases.

For more information visit the National Breast Cancer Ovarian Centre and the Australian Family Cancer Clinics

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