INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
08/03/2016
International Women’s Day – 44 Women Are Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Every Day in Australia
The 8 March is International Women’s Day and an important reminder of the need for ongoing support for breast cancer research to find new and improved treatment and prevention options for all women.
Hunter based researcher Professor John Forbes AM says although more women are surviving breast cancer today than ever before, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with the disease in Australia by the age of 85.
“In the course of my career, I’ve seen breast cancer mortality rates fall by approximately 20% over the last 30 years. Clinical trials research has made a substantial contribution to this improvement but we still have a long way to go,” said Professor Forbes.
“We now know that breast cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. So research is looking at how we can tailor treatments for a woman’s specific type of breast cancer.
“I have no doubt that one day we will have a cure for breast cancer for every woman and clinical trials research will continue to play a major role in this process.”
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Professor John Forbes AM is the Director of Research at the Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG).
He is Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Newcastle and Director of Surgical Oncology at the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital.
The ANZBCTG’s research program involves multicentre clinical trials, with 87 institutions and over 700 researchers throughout Australia and New Zealand. More than 14,000 women have participated in ANZBCTG breast cancer clinical trials.
The fundraising department of the ANZBCTG is the Breast Cancer Institute of Australia (BCIA). For more information about the ANZBCTG, visit the website www.anzbctg.org.
Media contact: Anna Fitzgerald, ANZBCTG Communications Manager Phone: 02 4925 5255 or 0400 304 224 or Email: anna.fitzgerald@anzbctg.org
Breast Cancer in Australia:
- 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed by the age of 85
- 44 women are diagnosed every day
- Approximately 16,000 women and 150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016
- It is estimated that in 2020, 17,210 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and the third most common cancer in Australia
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