Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

October is Australia's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this month we remember those people affected by breast cancer and try to engage with the community to save lives. All women are at risk of developing breast cancer, and this risk increases with age, with one in seven women in Australia diagnosed with breast cancer by their 85th birthday. Breast cancer also affects men, with 164 men estimated to be diagnosed in 2019. Australia has made huge strides in diagnosing and treating breast cancer, with the current five-year relative survival rate now at 90.8 per cent. There has also been so much magnificent work done in recent years to raise awareness of breast cancer, but there is always more to be done.

As part of a national screening program, BreastScreen Queensland provides free high-quality breast screening for women without breast cancer symptoms from age 40 onwards. Women aged between 50 and 74 years are recommended to have a breast screen every two years, as the evidence of screening benefit is strongest for women in this age group. A regular screening mammogram can detect most breast cancer early before it can be felt or even noticed. If breast cancer is found early, it's more likely to be small and successfully treated.

Currently, some areas in my electorate show lower than average participation in the free national breast cancer screening program. The Surfers Paradise area is of particular concern, with nearly half of women aged 50 to 74, the age group where the evidence of benefit of screening mammography is strongest, are participating in the BreastScreen program. If you're a woman in this age group who resides in Surfers Paradise, Miami or Nerang on the Gold Coast, or around Australia, who has not had a breast screen recently, this is your reminder. That woman is me, and I myself have now made an appointment for my check-up. Research remains our best hope to defeat cancer and to develop more effective treatments that will prevent or control the condition.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Griffith University, in my electorate, who are doing amazing work in the cancer research space. I visited the ADaPT facility, where they use innovative technologies, including 3D printing, to improve chemotherapeutics and overcome limitations of many drugs used today. They're also providing therapeutics for cancers where there are no current treatment options. Specifically for breast cancer, Griffith are on the brink of discovering a new drug which could revolutionise the treatment of some aggressive forms of this terrible disease. We hope one day these drugs will be on the market so that, together, we can combat this disease. I'm also proud to be part of a government that is doing so much work in this space. The Morrison government is committed to fighting cancer and is investing in a range of activities and services to improve breast cancer outcomes. We continue to list the latest proven treatments for breast cancer on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, making treatments affordable for the Australian community. In May, Ibrance was listed for patients with the most advanced form of the most common type of breast cancer. Around 3,000 women each year will benefit from this decision, saving more than $55,000 a year for this treatment. (Time expired)