SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australians from all walks of life, from the prime minister to radio jockeys to schoolgirls, rallied for pop diva Kylie Minogue on Wednesday as she prepared to enter hospital to fight breast cancer.
Every major newspaper in the country ran frontpage stories telling readers of Kylie's cancer battle, along with photographs from her three-decade-long career.
Her hometown tabloid newspaper in the southern city of Melbourne, the Herald-Sun, devoted eight pages to the story.
"You're in our prayers, Kylie," said Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper, which described her as "the Aussie girl-next-door who grew up to conquer the world".
Australian promoter and long-time friend Michael Gudinski announced on Tuesday that Minogue, 36, had been diagnosed with "early breast cancer" and would undergo immediate treatment.
Minogue postponed her Australian and Asian "Showgirl Tour" concerts. She had been due to play in Singapore and Hong Kong on her way home to her London base after the Australian performances.
Kylie Minogue rose from humble showbiz beginnings as a teenage actress in the soap opera "Neighbours" in the 1980s to international stardom as one of the world's top pop singers.
The music star, who is signed to EMI, is worth about A$60 million (24.7 million pounds), according to a 2004 list of rich young Australians compiled by BRW magazine.
Prime Minister John Howard said all Australians felt shocked and saddened by the news, adding that it was a reminder that cancer could happen to anyone no matter what their age.
"Any young woman of that age, to be diagnosed with that condition, it does send a shudder through you," Howard told Australian radio.
"It happens to a lot of young women. It's a reminder because it's a high-profile person, just how wide is the incidence of breast cancer amongst young women," Howard said.
"It just reinforces the need for women from a very early age to take all the precautions in the world to detect the condition in its early stages."
Howard's wife, Janette, underwent surgery for cancer in 1996, but the type of cancer has never been disclosed.
Breast cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in Australian women, with almost 12,000 diagnosed with the disease each year, says the National Breast Cancer Centre.
Latest available statistics show 2,594 women died from breast cancer in Australia in 2001.
The risk of contracting the disease increases with age, with 24 percent of new cases diagnosed in women aged 20 to 49, 49 percent in women aged 50 to 69, and then falling back to 27 percent in women aged 70 and over.
"I certainly hope her diagnosis doesn't create a lot of unnecessary fear and anxiety, because the incidence of breast cancer in young women is very, very low," said Helen Zorbas, director of the centre.
Zorbas said she hoped Minogue's high profile would bring awareness of breast cancer to more women.
There was currently no means of preventing breast cancer, with early detection the medical focus in reducing deaths from the disease.
Early breast cancer means the cancer is usually confined to the breast, has not spread to vital organs, and can be surgically removed, according to the National Breast Cancer Centre.
"This is the type of breast cancer where we have the greatest potential to save lives," said Zorbas. "More and more people are surviving the disease. It's not a death sentence."
Minogue is expected to enter hospital within days for treatment. Surgery would usually involve cutting out just the cancer if it is small enough, or removing the entire breast, followed by radiotherapy and possibly chemotherapy.
Minogue's official website was temporarily shut down today, overloaded by fans visiting it to check her condition. Well-wishers dropped off messages of support at Minogue's family home in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"She's the strongest girl I've ever met and known," said David Woods, who has known Minogue since she was 13.
"I was just wishing her the best," said Woods after passing a gold-coloured envelope through the gates of the Minogue home.
"It's a little note saying 'I know you'll come through this'," he said.
