Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) says it is "deeply disappointed" after Facebook decided to ban images from its latest campaign which features topless survivors.

Key points: BCNA claimed Facebook originally approved the ads only to reject them at the last minute

BCNA claimed Facebook originally approved the ads only to reject them at the last minute The social media platform said the campaign images breached its partial-nudity policy

The social media platform said the campaign images breached its partial-nudity policy Facebook has been criticised in the past for banning images of breast feeding

The images show the scars and mastectomies of nine women and one man and while the fundraising ads were approved by Facebook last month, the social media giant had a last-minute backflip before Thursday's campaign launch.

According to BCNA, Facebook rejected the images for breaching the platform's partial-nudity policy.

The not-for-profit organisation slammed the ban as "nonsensical" and said it threatened fundraising efforts, which are being run in conjunction with a prominent bakery.

"The opening days of the campaign are where we raise the most money for BCNA to ensure we can provide free resources to those people with breast cancer," BCNA's Kirsten Pilatti said.

"Facebook is a very important tool for us to promote the campaign."

Facebook said it banned the ads as they do not contain an educational message. ( Supplied: Bakers Delight )

Facebook said it rejected the ads because they did not contain any education about the disease or teach women how to examine their breasts.

It said since the ads were selling a product, they were held to a higher standard than other images because people could not block ads the way they could block content from pages they followed.

"I love these ads and our team has been working hard to allow them to run on our platforms," Facebook Australia's Head of Communications Antonia Sand said.

"We have been working with the advertiser to advise them how we can run these ads and are disappointed that they have not taken our guidance."

'Common sense' needed

The platform has attracted criticism in the past for banning images of breastfeeding for breaching its nudity policy.

Facebook's policy states allowances will be made when nudity is shared to raise awareness about a cause.

"For example, while we restrict some images of female breasts that include the nipple, we allow other images, including those depicting acts of protest, women actively engaged in breast-feeding, and photos of post-mastectomy scarring."

While Facebook will not run the images as ads, they will still be shown on the BCNA and Bakers Delight Facebook pages.

"It does seem to me that Facebook need to review their policies and have some consistency but, probably most importantly, some common sense around what they do approve and what they do reject," Ms Pilatti said.

Facebook has faced repeated criticism for its community standards and how they are imposed.

It was slammed in March when it allowed a live stream of the Christchurch massacre to be broadcast — it was only removed after a demand from New Zealand police.

Breast cancer survivor Kristy Newton said she did not understand why the pictures would be considered inappropriate.

"It brings awareness and has all you talking about it, that's the point, awareness," Ms Newton posted on Facebook.

"At 35 I had to have both [my breasts] removed and reconstructed after 15 chemos [sic] and I don't at all find this post offensive, whatever gets you checking your breasts, I'm all for it."