BREAST CANCER SCREENING OPENS TO MORE WOMEN
May 28, 2013
Gippsland women aged between 70 and 74 will be invited for free breast cancer screening, according to Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester.
Mr Chester said the $56 million initiative would be provided by the Federal Government with BreastScreen Australia’s target age range expanded by five years from the current 50 to 69 years.
According to the Federal Government more than 220,000 additional screening services will be delivered over the next four years with an estimated additional 600 breast cancers potentially detected each year from 2016/17.
Mr Chester said age was the biggest breast cancer risk factor with one in 11 Australian women diagnosed with the disease before the age of 75.
“As we saw last week with Pink Sports Day, all Gippslanders recognise the seriousness of breast cancer,” Mr Chester said.
“Most of us at some stage of our lives will have a family member or friend who is affected by the disease.
“There is a need for government support not only into researching the disease, but also preventative measures and I’m hopeful that the additional screening services will help early detection of the disease amongst women in our local community.”
Since the establishment of BreastScreen Australia in 1991, breast cancer deaths have been reduced by more than 25 per cent
Mr Chester said almost half of invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed each year in Victoria were detected by the BreastScreen program.
Women across Gippsland seeking to make a breast screening appointment should contact BreastScreen Victoria.
BreastScreen Victoria has been operating for 20 years. About 3.5 million mammograms have been performed and about 3,000 women, aged between 50 and 69, having regular screens during that period.
BreastScreen Victorian can be contacted via phone on 13 20 50 or online at www.breastscreen.org.au