Chapter 5 – The Breast

Breast cancer

As of 2015, breast cancer was the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and for women it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. This trend has continued to date. It is estimated that 1 in 7 women are at risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85 years. A woman’s risk of breast cancer increases with age, peaking at the age group 70-74 years (Table 5.1).(25)

Table 5.1 Age-specific incidence rate of breast cancer, by sex, 2015

This information is reproduced with permission of Cancer Australia.

The incidence of breast cancers is increasing and it is predicted that the rate of new cancer cases for women will reach 434 per 100,000 women in 2019. (26) The development of new technologies such as MRI, the introduction of the BreastScreen Australia screening program and increased breast awareness may have contributed to the increased diagnosis of breast cancer.(26)

While breast cancer incidence rates have been rising in the past two decades, the mortality rates have been falling. The age-standardised rate of death due to breast cancer among women has fallen from 30.8 deaths per 100,000 women in 1994 to 20.9 deaths per 100,000 women in 2014, and is ... Buy now

Types of breast cancer

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Breast carcinoma in situ

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Invasive breast cancer

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Breast implant associated-anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)

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Breast cancer and receptor sensitivity

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Hormone receptor positive breast cancer

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HER2-positive breast cancer

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Triple negative breast cancer

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Risk factors for developing breast cancer

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Genetic risk

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Familial risk assessment

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Early detection of breast cancer

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