Rise in mammograms seen after Minogue case

Media coverage of pop diva Kylie Minogue’s battle with breast cancer prompted an “unprecedented” rise in the number of Australian women seeking early screening for the disease, the author of a medical study said Monday.

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 older than 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% during the two weeks after the pop superstar’s diagnosis was made public, and that the number of women who made an appointment for a first mammogram rose by nearly 101%.

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 [who] 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.