State governments unite to lower mortality
Australia - The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported a 26% decrease in the breast cancer mortality rate among women aged 50-69 years between 1990 and 2004.
The BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report 2003-2004 indicates that the rate is down from 68.5 per 100,000 women in 1990 to 50.9 in 2004, an average decrease of 2.1% per annum. Although the occurrence of breast cancer has risen, the report also shows that the rate of mortality has fallen due to a combination of early detection and improvements in treatment.
BreastScreen Australia provides free screening mammograms for women – and particularly aged 50-69 years - at two yearly intervals. Participation in the scheme in the target age group increased from 51.4% in 1996-97 to 55.6% in 2003-04. In 2004 BreastScreen Australia detected 3,851 invasive breast cancers - 2,733 of them in the target age group.
In 2003-04 the participation rate for indigenous Australian women aged 50-69 years (35.3%) was much lower than the general non-Indigenous rate (55.4%). However, the rate for Indigenous Australian women increased significantly, from 30.3% in 1998-99 to 35.3% in 2003-04.
BreastScreen Australia is a joint initiative of all Australian governments.
Details: www.aihw.gov.au
This article was published on 07/20/2007
