02 October 2008

Minister urges have a mammogram this month

Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), Tony Stewart, has urged women to have a mammogram this October in Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Unfortunately, whether out of fear or ignorance too many women in NSW are not having mammograms," Mr Stewart said.

"This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and now is the time to take your health seriously and have that important check up.

"The Rees Government has asked the Cancer Institute NSW to produce a new mammogram awareness campaign with new figures suggesting the number of women being screened for breast cancer every two years has peaked," Mr Stewart said.

Mr Stewart said around 400,000 women aged 50-69 years had their two-yearly mammogram in the twelve months to July 2008 - which was little changed from the previous 12 months.

"A mammogram every two years for women aged over 40 years is the most effective method of detecting and treating breast cancer in its earliest stages," Mr Stewart said.

"In fact, 97 per cent of women whose breast cancer is detected early will be alive five years after diagnosis and stand an excellent chance of being treated successfully."

Mr Stewart said the Cancer Institute's last mammogram awareness campaign titled "Cherry and Pea" was highly successful following its launch in 2006.

"Before Cherry and Pea, only 370,000 women aged 50-69 were screened every two years," Mr Stewart said.

"Now that figure is more than 400,000 and I believe a fresh campaign will help convince more women of the need for a mammogram.

"Approximately one in nine NSW women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

"Sadly, breast cancer kills more than 900 NSW women each year," Mr Stewart said.

Mr Stewart said his message to all women aged between 50 and 69 was a simple one: "Take advantage of the free service provided by BreastScreen NSW and have a mammogram every two years - it's the only way to have peace of mind.

"The Rees Government has made a large investment in the health of NSW women with public health campaigns, the $26 million roll out of new digital mammography technology and extended opening hours of major BreastScreen clinics to make it easier for busy women to look after their health," said Mr Stewart.

"The large number of women now regularly using breast screening services is a major reason breast cancer survival rates have improved so dramatically in recent decades - up 11 percentage points since the early 80's.

"Better treatment options have also made a significant contribution.

"The good news for women is that the NSW five-year survival rate of 88 per cent is one of the best in the world - similar to the United States and 10 percentage points higher than the UK's," said Mr Stewart.

"Between 1999 and 2003, almost 20,000 NSW women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and if it wasn't for the publicly-funded breast screening service many of these cases would have been detected far too late."

"Please call BreastScreen NSW now on 13 20 50, and make that important appointment," Mr Stewart said.

NOTE: BreastScreen NSW is part of BreastScreen Australia, a joint Commonwealth/ State and Territory initiative for the early detection of breast cancer, with the aim of significantly reducing mortality and morbidity related to breast cancer.

While women 40 years and over are eligible to access free biennial screening - the target group is 50-69 years. Current evidence suggests that the 50-69 year age group benefits most from a population based mammographic breast cancer screening program.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au