ABOUT BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia.

Its incidence is increasing – with 1 in 7 Australian women and about 1 in 700 Australian men expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime.

The disease develops when cells within the breast grow abnormally and multiply to form a tumour. Thanks to medical research, breast cancer that is contained within the breast is now largely treatable. Since the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) started funding research in 1994, five-year breast cancer survival rates have improved from 76% to 91%.

It’s progress to be proud of. But the job’s not done. 9 Australians still lose their life to the disease every single day.

In Australia, the overall five-year survival rate for breast cancer in females is 91%. If the cancer is limited to the breast, 96% of patients will be alive five years after diagnosis; this figure excludes those who die from other diseases. If the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes, five-year relative survival drops to 80%.

Targeted, world-class research is the only way to stop women and men dying from breast cancer. By gaining a better understanding of how breast cancer tumours originate, grow and spread, we can save more lives.

NBCF is committed to funding research to reach one determined goal: Zero Deaths from breast cancer by 2030.