Breast screening participation rates
Why this indicator is important
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women* in NSW.[1]
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Analysis undertaken by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed that women aged 50–69 who were diagnosed with a breast cancer through BreastScreen Australia between 2002 and 2012 had a 42% lower risk of dying from breast cancer by 2015 than women* with breast cancers who had never been screened.[2]
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There were 5,891 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in NSW in 2021, accounting for 26.8% of all cancer cases in women.[3] This percentage was expected to rise to 28.2% in 2025.[3] Breast cancer was expected to account for 12.7% of all cancers diagnosed in NSW in 2025.[3]
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The median age of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 was 62.[3] Nine out of 10 women in NSW with breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.[4]
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For women 50 years of age and over, a screening mammogram is the most effective method of finding breast cancer early.[1] For women aged 50–to74, the breast cancer death rate has decreased by almost half (45%) since the BreastScreen Australia Program began in 1991.[5]
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The rate of breast cancer incidence has remained unchanged over the last 10 years.[3]
About this indicator
This indicator shows biennial breast screening participation rate trends for women* aged 50–to74 in NSW:†‡
- From 2023–to2024, the biennial breast screening participation rate was 51.6%.
NSW Cancer Plan Activities
BreastScreen NSW runs mass media campaigns to increase participation. The ‘Breast Cancer Doesn’t Wait’ campaign encourages women to prioritise having a breast screen despite their busy schedules. It runs across television, radio, outdoor advertising, broadcast video on demand, print, online video, digital display, paid search, and social media.
*While data presented in this section specifically refers to cisgender women (i.e. women whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex), not everyone with a cervix and/or breasts is a woman, and cervical and breast cancer screening is important for everyone with a cervix and/or breasts including transgender and non-binary people.
†Note: In response to the impact of COVID–to19, BreastScreen NSW (BSNSW) suspended screening on 27 March 2020. Screening resumed in two Screening and Assessment Services (SAS) on 13 May 2020, and in all SAS on 18 May 2020. BreastScreen NSW services were also progressively suspended services from June 2021, with all Services closed from 19 August 2021. Several services recommenced screening on 13th September 2021, and all services were operational by 22nd November 2021.
‡Participation rate has recently changed due to re-baseline of the population to Census 21.
Notes
Data accurate as of August 2025.
References
Cancer Institute NSW. Reporting for Better Outcomes. Annual statewide report, 2023. Sydney: Cancer Institute NSW, 2024.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer Screening [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024 [cited 12 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/cancer-screening-and-treatment
Cancer Institute NSW. Cancer type summary dashboard [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Institute NSW, 2022 [cited 11th March 2024]. Available from: https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/research-and-data/cancer-data-and-statistics/data-available-now/cancer-statistics-nsw/cancer-incidence-mortality-survival
BreastScreen NSW. Breast cancer and family history [Internet]. Sydney: BreastScreen NSW, 2025 [cited 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au/about-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-and-family-history/
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021). BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2021, p. 82. Cat. no. CAN 140. Canberra: AIHW [cited 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer-screening/breastscreen-australia-monitoring-report–to2021/report-edit
