Breast cancer report
The most comprehensive review of breast cancer to date, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, has found that Indigenous women are significantly less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
However, poor access to healthcare and a reluctance to follow up on treatment meant those Indigenous women diagnosed with the disease were less likely to survive.
The Breast Cancer in Australia – An Overview 2009 Report showed that 12,614 Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, up from 5,289 in 1982.
The number of breast cancer-related deaths fell by 27% between 1994 and 2006, with only 22 fatalities per 100,000 women.
The report found that while much of the increase in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer was due to a growing and ageing population, women were now more likely to have breast screens, which was boosting detection levels.
