EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES WE WILL LAUNCH A MULTI-MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE AWARENESS AND ACTION
SOPHIE diagnosed at 36
I was only 36 when chest pain and my intuition told me to see the doctor. Knowing my family history made me proactive, and I’m super lucky it was picked up early. I went straight into 16 weeks of chemo and a year of treatment. I want women to understand the importance of knowing their risk, advocating for themselves, and getting screened. Health is a gift-take care of it.
Breast cancer is still being diagnosed too late. Despite decades of early screening awareness efforts, nearly half of eligible Australian women are not participating in the national breast screening program, and over 51% of cancers are still detected at stage 2 and beyond. When cancers are detected later, treatment is more invasive and outcomes may be worse—not only for the women affected, but also for their families, carers, our community and the health systems that support them. We know early detection and screening works, and we are committed to making sure every woman at risk knows it too.
1 IN 2 ELIGIBLE WOMEN ARE NOT GETTING SCREENED BUT BREAST CANCER DOESN’T WAIT SCREENING SAVES LIVES SINCE BREASTSCREEN AUSTRALIA BEGAN, BREAST CANCER DEATHS HAVE HALVED AMONG WOMEN AGED 50 TO 74
BCNA must lead a national public awareness campaign to encourage more women to be breast aware, know their risk and screen when it is right for them.
By lifting knowledge, we will contribute to increasing awareness, action and screening rates. We want to be part of driving breast cancer detection at stage 0 and 1, where women have more treatment options, fewer complications and high survival rates. A national first, BCNA's Australia-wide multi-media awareness campaign will be evidence-informed and shaped by lived experience. As a critical first step, we will bring together existing evidence, draw on insights from our international collaborators, and design a bold, inclusive campaign that tackles the barriers and amplifies the drivers for behavioural change—from awareness and culture to confidence, accessibility and trust. The evidence and insights will guide the design of a bold and inclusive multi- channel campaign, with tailored messages and delivery strategies that will come from a trusted organisation and resonate with the groups that will benefit most. Our immediate focus will be women 40 and over—the group currently eligible for free breast screening. Changing behaviours within this group now will have a significant and rapid impact on reducing late diagnoses. We know that Australians trust us, and we will harness that trust to amplify the reach and impact of BreastScreen campaigns. This bold health campaign is our opportunity to change the story—for women, families, and for the systems that support them. By increasing knowledge of risk and the importance of breast screening participation, we want to contribute to the detection of more cancers earlier, reduce the emotional and financial toll on households, and ease pressure on health systems by avoiding costly late- stage interventions. Investment in this public awareness campaign will ensure we can accelerate the charge for earlier detection, and give more women more time, more options and more hope.
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Breast Cancer Network Australia
Case for Support
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