Australia has one of the highest breast cancer diagnosis rates in the world, according to new data that covers 185 countries.
A study by the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency found there are around 100 new diagnoses per 100,000 women in Australia and New Zealand.
While the diagnosis rate remains high, the number of Australians dying from the disease is falling.
Australia
An estimated 21,000 Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer last year, according to government data.
Professor Nehmat Houssami from the University of Sydney, who worked on the study, said Australia’s high breast cancer rate is partly due to an ageing population.
She also added: “Breast cancer risk factors that women may be less aware of include alcohol consumption, low physical activity, and post-menopausal obesity – so we need to improve support for women to reduce these potentially modifiable risk factors.”
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Mortality
In 2022, 670,000 deaths from breast cancer were recorded globally. Last year, the disease killed an estimated 3,300 Aussies.
In Australia, despite the high number of cases, the number of people dying from breast cancer has decreased by 2.1% annually.
The WHO said this is due to timely detection, early diagnosis times, and high patient treatment completion rates.
Disparities
Professor Houssami says a key concern is higher mortality rates from breast cancer in “countries that are less affluent and have less developed health systems”.
“These disparities in breast cancer deaths are not new but have become more evident in the current analysis and are predicted to further widen in the future,” Houssami said.
