Cancer Australia

February 2009 is Australia’s first Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Ovarian cancer has often been referred to as a ‘silent killer’, but new preliminary findings from an Australian study show the disease is in fact not silent – these latest data show most women (83 per cent) experience at least one symptom of ovarian cancer in the year prior to their diagnosis.

Refer to updated information

National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre* welcomes the addition of two new items to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the surveillance and diagnosis of women under 50 years of age at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Two out of three women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 will go through early menopause because of their treatment.

A cheeky new public information campaign launched today by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre* is set to reassure young women they do not need to learn a complicated technique to check their breasts for changes.

Nurses and community health workers in rural and regional Australia are encouraged to apply for scholarships to expand their skills in caring for local women with breast cancer. The scholarships are funded by the Polo Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Campaign and administered by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre*.