Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue has been diagnosed with breast cancer forcing her to postpone the Australian leg of her world tour.

Kylie's tour company Frontier Touring said: "Whilst at home in Melbourne with her family this week, Kylie was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

"She will undergo immediate treatment and consequently her Showgirl tour will not be able to proceed as planned."

Minogue, 36, said she was disappointed at having to postpone the shows.

"I was so looking forward to bringing the Showgirl tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my fans," the singer said in a statement.

"Nevertheless hopefully all will work out fine and Ill be back with you all again soon," she added.

Her Showgirl tour was scheduled to tour Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth over the next month.

The Asian leg of the world tour, taking place in Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, has also been postponed.

Kylie has also had to cancel a Glastonbury Festival headline appearance.

Antonia Bunnin, Policy and Campaigns Director of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said: "Our thoughts and best wishes are with Kylie and her family and friends at this time.

"Breast cancer in women in their thirties and forties is still rare, with the vast majority of breast cancers being diagnosed in women over fifty. However, this is a reminder to us all that we should always be breast aware, because most breast cancers are detected by women themselves and early diagnosis offers the best chance of survival."

Kylie has worked to raise money for breast cancer over recent years and has regularly worked to publicise Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast cancer facts:

Research conducted by Imaginis shows that breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women (after lung cancer) worldwide and is the most common type of cancer found among women in the world.

According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization, around 1.2 million people worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.

Earlier detection and better treatments have improved mortality rates in recent years.

The majority of breast cancers will be treated with surgery to remove the tumour.