Breast Cancer Statistics:

• One in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85 
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, accounting for 28% of all cancer cases in 2006.
• Increasing age is one of the strongest risk factors for developing breast cancer.
• Breast cancer can occur in younger women, but about three out of four breast cancer cases occur in women aged 50 years and older.
• About one in 250 women in their 30s will develop breast cancer in the next ten years. This compares to about one in 30 for women in their 70s.
• Eight out of nine women who develop breast cancer do not have an affected mother, sister or daughter

Ovarian Cancer Statistics:

• Ovarian cancer is the 9th most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women, and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecological cancer. 
• One in 77 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 85. 
• The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. About 81% of all new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2006 were in women 50 years or older. 
• Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cause of cancer death in Australian women. 
• A total of 795 women died from ovarian cancer in Australia in 2006.

Family History Statistics

• Approximately 1 in 500 women in the general population carry a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2
• 1 in 50 women of ashkenzi jewish ancestry carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
• Known high risk genes account for less than 5% of all breast cancer and 10-15% of all ovarian cancer cases.

For more information visit the National Breast Cancer Ovarian Centre and the Australian Family Cancer Clinics