Hundreds of Victorian women may unknowingly have breast cancer, amid push for more screening

More than 1000 Victorian women may be unaware they have breast cancer because they have not had recent screens to detect the disease, which kills hundreds of women in the state each year.

More than 1000 Victorian women may be unaware they have breast cancer because they have not had regular screenings.

As part of a renewed push for breast screening, it has emerged that as many as 1500 women may have undetected early-stage breast cancer.

Almost half of at-risk women have not had recent screens to detect the cancer, which kills more than 740 ­Victorian women each year.

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BreastScreen Victoria runs dozens of clinics across the state. Picture: iStock

Acting Health Minister Martin Foley has encouraged women to have regular breast screens. Picture: AAP

Data to be released today shows that 53.7 per cent of women aged 50-74 have ­regular breast screens.

But the screening rate falls to less than 20 per cent in the northeastern electorate of ­Benambra.

Melbourne, Prahran, Ovens Valley and Albert Park also have lower than average rates.

But in South Barwon, covering Torquay, almost two-thirds of women in the same age bracket have been ­regularly screened.

Bendigo West, Bellarine and Niddrie also have screening rates of about 60 per cent.

Acting Health Minister Martin Foley said although breast cancer was the most common cancer affecting women, the key to survival was early detection and treatment.

“It’s so important that women prioritise a breast screening every two years. It takes just 10 minutes, it’s with a woman and it’s free,” he said.

“The latest data shows there’s still plenty of work to do to make sure everyone is as best protected from this ­disease as they can be.”

BreastScreen Victoria screened more than 260,000 Victorian women in 2017-8, a record.

The state government provided an extra $5.6 million for BreastScreen Victoria to carry out an additional 10,000 screenings each year.

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