Nurse with patient preparing for a mammogram
Kylie Minogue is a famous Australian pop singer who has toured all over the world. In 2005 at age 37 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy near Paris, France and continued her radiation treatment in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Minogue is known for the "Kylie effect." The publicity surrounding her breast cancer caused more young women to be tested for the disease.
The Media Effect or the Kylie Effect?
A study out of the University of Sydney found the high profile case of breast cancer caused an unprecedented demand for breast cancer screenings in Australia. Simon Chapman, a researcher at the University, looked at the number of appointments made before Kylie's illness was public, during the news coverage of her illness, and after. Chapman found appointments were up 40 percent during two weeks where coverage of Kylie's illness was intense. Chapman found a 101 percent increase in bookings for women between the ages of 40 and 69, who are encouraged to get mammograms regularly.
The Downside
Dr. Lesley Walker is a cancer researcher out of the UK. Walker did a survey in 2006 and found high profile breast cancer cases have caused women to have a misconception about when they are most at risk.
Seventy-seven percent of more than two thousand women questioned thought breast cancer was more prevalent in women under 50. But the risk of breast cancer increases with age. For women under the age of 40, there is a one in 200 chance of being diagnosed with the disease. At 70, that risk increases to one in 11.
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer caused, cancer caused, Chapman found, diagnosed with
