The collection of data in the Program is a high priority, as it enables the monitoring of the Program's efficiency and performance whilst also providing a means to make sure that high standards are being met and maintained. A National Minimum Data Set, definitions and common performance measures have been developed. All States and Territories have agreed to collect data in accordance with the Minimum Data Set. It is important to point out that although every woman who presents for mammography screening is asked to sign a consent form so that her data can be used for these purposes, information is only reported as total numbers which does not allow identification of data from an individual woman. BreastScreen Australia operates under strict confidentiality and privacy guidelines.
Age is the biggest risk factor in developing the disease.
More than 70 per cent of breast cancers occur in women over 50. Nine out of 10 women who get breast cancer DO NOT have a family history of breast cancer. The lifetime risk of women developing breast cancer before age 75 years is one in 12. 1,367,759 women were screened in the 24 month period 1997-98. In 1998 BreastScreen Australia detected small invasive cancers in 1,095 women screened.