Statistics & Info
Breast Cancer Statistics:
- 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 Statistics:
- 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
Breast cancer is a tumour in the breast caused by an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells.
- One in 11 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 75.
- Early detection is the best way to survive breast cancer.
- Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment.
Cervical Cancer
- Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix grow out of control.
- About 700 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in Australia each year.
- It almost always develops as a result of a virus called human papillomaviruses (HPV).
- Treatments for cervical cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian cancer is a disease in which some cells of the ovary undergo changes and develop into cancer.
- Ovarian cancer results from the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the ovaries.
- One in 77 women will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime.
- Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
- Unfortunately, 77% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in an advanced stage, primarily because symptoms that present in the early stages of the disease are often subtle, misinterpreted, inconsistent or ignored. Even routine pelvic exams are unlikely to detect ovarian cancer when it is most treatable before it has spread beyond the ovaries.
