Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with over 2.3 million women diagnosed each year according to the World Health Organisation. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is held each year from 1-31 October and plays a critical role in highlighting the impact of breast cancer on individuals and communities.
To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026, RACS spoke with Dr Jasmina Kevric FRACS, an award-winning breast cancer surgeon, on the importance of breast screening, concerns that women often have when seeing a breast cancer surgeon, how breast cancer surgery has changed and where its future lies.
What are some of the most important things people should know about breast cancer?
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers women can experience in their lifetimes. The incidence of breast cancer is increasing, particularly among women aged below 40, which is why it’s so important to undertake breast screening regularly.
What is the role of breast screening in detecting breast cancer early?
Women who are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (Stage 0) have a 100 per cent 5-year survival rate. Even at Stages 1-2, the 5-year relative survival rate is over 90 per cent to 99 per cent.
Through the BreastScreen Australia program, women over 40 have access to a free mammogram every 2 years. BreastScreen Aotearoa provides regular free mammograms for those aged between 45 and 69 or are 70 to 74 and qualify for the screening age extension.
50-60 per cent of women currently take part in BreastScreen, but we should aim to get that percentage upto 100 per cent. If we can get the message out about the importance of regular breast screens, we can save lives.
What are some of the biggest concerns patients have when they first meet a breast surgeon?
When patients first present themselves, whether the results are ultimately benign or malignant, the word ‘cancer’ can make them afraid. Patients work with our multidisciplinary team from the first meeting. If they present with a suspicious lump that they’re worried about, the role of the breast surgeon is to walk the patient through each step of their journey.
When patients are diagnosed with breast cancer, they often feel powerless and that they will die because of their diagnosis. Breast cancer is very treatable however and as breast cancer surgeons we help walk our patients through every step.
The use of breast-conserving surgery, where the cancerous tumour and a small rim of surrounding tissue are removed while keeping most of the breast intact, has risen steadily over the past two decades.
Breast reconstruction surgery, which rebuilds the shape of a breast after a mastectomy or lumpectomy, has also become a key part of our work.
Targeted immunotherapy for breast cancer uses specialised drugs to help the body’s immune system find and destroy cancer cells, potentially adding years to patients’ lives.
What does recovery from breast cancer surgery typically involve?
Recovery depends on how much surgery we do. For patients undergoing a wide local excision (lumpectomy or breast-conserving surgery), it is a major surgical operation and most women fare well and are able to go home the next day. For those patients who have undergone a mastectomy, they may be in hospital for 3-5 days. Those patients who have undergone breast construction can typically expect to be in hospital for a similar period of time.
How has breast cancer surgery changed over the decades?
Breast surgery has shifted a lot to de-escalation. We went from radical mastectomy to breast conservation, then sentinel node biopsy, and now we're getting more selective about the axilla again.
Oncoplastic techniques have changed things too. We can get clear margins and still care about breast cosmetics and how the patient feels about it afterwards. When she looks in the mirror, I want her to see strength and not fear.
The question used to be how much cancer we excise. Now it's how much we can preserve and still get an excellent oncological result.
Where do you see the future of breast cancer surgery?
I see it as becoming more precise and less aggressive. Tumour biology and response to systemic therapy already shape our decisions far more than they did ten years ago.
We're asking hard questions about how much breast and axillary surgery is really needed, while oncoplastic and reconstructive techniques keep improving. I don't think the future is more surgery. It's smarter surgery, matched to the tumour and the woman.
Most importantly, breast cancer treatment is multidisciplinary. The operation is one component of a much broader treatment strategy.
For me, good breast surgery is not simply choosing between breast conservation and mastectomy. It’s choosing the oncologically appropriate operation that gives that individual woman the best overall outcome.
Why is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so important?
There is great awareness of breast cancer in the community. The shift now is to move this awareness from fearful to empowering, and that comes with greater awareness of the successes of early detection.
It’s an opportunity to discuss breast density, individual risk, and who actually gets access to screening and timely assessment.
It’s also a chance for us to push for more equitable care. Outcomes still vary a lot depending on where a woman lives, her socioeconomic background and what she can get access to, especially access to reconstruction. This is vital to complete the overall awareness picture.
Find out more about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.