Originally published August 15 2005
More Australian women seeking breast checkups, thanks to pop singer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Aussie pop singer Kylie Minogue's fight with breast cancer has been publicized all over the media, and as a result, more Australian women are getting checked for breast cancer.
The 37-year-old pop superstar canceled her Australian "Showgirl" tour in May after she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove a lump from her breast.
A study published in the most recent edition of the Medical Journal of Australia examined the number of mammogram bookings made by women over 40 at four government-run clinics that provide free screening.
Researchers found that the number of reservations made for breast exams rose by an average of 40 percent during the two weeks after the pop superstar's diagnosis was made public.
The number of women who made a booking for an initial, or first-time, mammogram rose by nearly 101 percent during the same period, the study found.
The study's author, Simon Chapman, said the increase in first-time mammograms was "unprecedented," despite years of public health campaigns advising women to seek early screening for the disease.
"Her situation obviously touched an awful lot of people," said Chapman, a professor of public health at Sydney University.
"I think that the way in which the publicity surrounded the announcement triggered a lot of identification and concern in people that hadn't been screened before."
Minogue was first launched to international fame in 1988 with her song "I Should Be So Lucky," which topped British charts for five weeks.
Doctors who successfully removed a cancerous lump from the singer's breast in May said they are confident they caught the disease early enough to prevent it spreading.
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