Key Facts About Breast Cancer

• Nationwide there are about 11,500 diagnosed cases of breast cancer in both men and women each year.
• 1 in 8 Australian women will experience cancer by the age of 85.
• Every day 7 people die from breast cancer.
• Approximately 400 new patients are diagnosed each year in the ACT and surrounding region.
• In our area, 1 in 9 diagnoses are cancer - higher than the national average.
  The higher rate may be because more women use early detection (self examination and mammograms) due to our socio-economic profile.
• Breast cancer is not an older woman's disease; it does affect young women.  More than a third of breast cancers are diagnosed in women younger than 50, and 6.5% of detected cancers are in women younger than 40.
• On average, 1% of diagnosed cases are in men.  In Australia about 100 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
  See Where to find more information for more sources of information about Male Breast Cancer.