The Federal Government will offer free breast cancer screening to all Australian women aged 50 to 74.

An existing scheme has been expanded as part of a $55.7 million initiative to boost breast screening rates in at risk age groups.

The offer comes alongside a new ad campaign - ‘An invitation that could save your life’ - to make sure all Australian women aged 50 to 74 are aware that they qualify for a free breast screen every two years.

Minister for Health Sussan Ley said it marks the first time Australian women aged 70 to 74 have been specifically targeted for breast screening awareness, with an additional 220,000 breast screens expected to be delivered over four years as a direct result.

Breast screening saves lives. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Australia, however if detected early and managed nine-out-of-10 cases can be successfully treated.”

“BreastScreen Australia has been extremely successful since it was introduced more than 20 years ago having reduced the number of breast cancer deaths by over a third.

“I encourage all women aged between 50 and 74 to make a breast screening appointment as we know the more Australian women who are screened, the more cancers that are detected. It’s an invitation that could save your life.”

Ms Ley said the additional screening delivered as a result of the campaign could potentially lead to the detection of an extra 600 breast cancers a year.

More than 1.8 million women are screened every two years and more than 75 per cent of breast cancers occur in women over 50. Most women who get breast cancer also have no family history.

More information is available here.