New research highlights Australia leading the world in decreasing breast cancer deaths

Australia has one of the highest breast cancer diagnosis rates globally, but encouragingly, we also have one of the lowest mortality rates according to a global study led by The University of Sydney, The University of Queensland, and Alberta Health Services in Canada.

“Australia’s mortality rate from breast cancer is significantly lower than many other countries, underscoring the impact of research and national efforts to diagnose breast cancer early and provide best practice comprehensive breast management,” said Associate Professor Cleola Anderiesz, CEO National Breast Cancer Foundation.

“The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s commitment to funding research to end deaths from breast cancer and our focus in the areas of prevention and early detection research is evident through our support of Professor Nehmat Houssami, NBCF’s 10-year Chair in Breast Cancer Prevention who contributed to this new study,” she explained.

The study, examined breast cancer data from 185 countries, revealing key global trends in both incidence and mortality. The findings highlight the rising incidence of breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand, a trend seen in many parts of the world, attributed to the aging population, a number of modifiable risk factors, widespread access to screening programs, and an improvement in awareness and detection.

The high incidence rates but lower rate of deaths from breast cancer in Australia is attributable in part to our free national screening program, BreastScreen, and advancements in breast cancer treatment and care.

“The study highlights a correlation between lower detection rates and higher mortality rates in countries that lack widespread screening programs, or where such programs are less accessible than Australia’s BreastScreen.”

“Early detection of breast cancer gives the best possible chance of survival.  The earlier an abnormality is discovered, the greater the number of effective treatment options available,” Associate Professor Anderiesz said.

Professor Houssami’s research over the past decade has contributed to: the development of international consensus guidelines on surgical margins for oncologists to help avoid unnecessary repeat breast operations for women with early-stage breast cancer; and the long-term research on mammographic 3D breast cancer screening to further advance understanding of breast cancer prevention and early detection, ensuring that we continue to reduce the impact of this disease for all people in Australia.

Modifiable lifestyle factors such as being overweight and obese, and alcohol consumption contribute to increasing breast cancer risk. However, personal non-modifiable factors such as genetics also increase an individual’s likelihood of developing the disease.

At NBCF, we are encouraged to see the death rate from breast cancer declining and further reductions in the death rate from breast cancer will be driven by research.  Since our inception in 1994, we have invested over $200 million into more than 600 world-class breast cancer research projects across Australia. In this time, the death rate from breast cancer in Australia has reduced by over 40%.

We are determined to end deaths from this disease to achieve our vision of Zero Deaths from breast cancer. This is why we fund research that is focused on better understanding how to prevent and detect breast cancer early, how to stop the progression and recurrence of breast cancer and how to effectively treat hard-to-treat and metastatic breast cancers – research that ultimately save lives.