By 3 News online staff
October is Breast Cancer Action Month and new research reveals two-thirds of young Kiwi women don't realise breast cancer is the cancer most likely to affect them.
Around 150 women between the age of 20 and 39 will be diagnosed with the disease this year, along with another 220 women aged between 40 and 44.
Breast Cancer Foundation CEO Van Henderson says 2800 women are diagnosed with the disease every year, with 650 women passing away.
“We’re certainly diagnosing it earlier, which is a great thing, so 85 percent of women with breast cancer will survive for five years or more,” she told Firstline this morning.
Ms Henderson says all women over the age of 40 should be having mammograms.
“It’s not a lot to pay for your breast health,” she says.
3 News