Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that means that nearly 5,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in this month alone. In fact, about 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. It’s the most common cancer in women with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes.
Almost nine in ten (85%) of women survive breast cancer for five years or more. And survival rates are improving – in fact they have doubled in the past 40 years in the UK due to a combination of improvements in treatment and care, earlier detection through screening and a focus on targets, including faster diagnosis.
But there are still thousands of women dying of breast cancer around the world each year. So what can we do about it?
The signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer.
There are many different signs and symptoms of breast cancer, so regularly checking your breasts for anything that looks and feels different. Because the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatment. Getting to know what your breasts look and feel like normally means it’s easier to spot anything unusual and get them checked out. Now its worth saying that 9 out of 10 breast lumps are benign, but that doesn’t mean you can self-diagnose. Always check any lump out with your doctor.
Common breast cancer signs and symptoms include:
- A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit. You might feel the lump, but not see it.
- Changes in the size or shape of the breast
- A change in skin texture i.e. puckering or dimpling of the skin
- A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed
- Rash, crusting or changes to the nipple
- Any unusual discharge from either nipple
I find it easiest to do in the shower, or when I’m drying myself. It only takes a few minutes, and just check all over the breast, including the area above your breasts and your armpits. Just get in there and have a good old feel!
What can cause breast cancer?
There are many different factors that can affect your chances of developing breast cancer. There’s no one single reason – it results from a combination of the way we live our lives, our genes and our surrounding environment.
What can I do to reduce my risk of breast cancer?
Everyone can take steps to lower their chances of getting breast cancer. And these are the same for many diseases:
- Limiting your alcohol intake
- Maintaining a weight that’s right for your body
- Keeping physically active.
Now, in the UK, breast screening under the NHS is free and once you reach the age of 50 you will get called for a screening every three years. However, this stops at 70, so if you want to be screened once you reach that age, you have to request it. In the US I understand you have to pay for your screening. Now there have been many controversies over the years about the efficacy of screening, not just for breast cancer but for other cancers such as ovarian. This is because some scans may pick up something, which when investigated further turns out not to be anything serious. However, my daughter recently found a lump in her breast, was sent swiftly for a biopsy, and thankfully that was indeed the case. Now personally I don’t see anything wrong with that, in fact I think screening is invaluable, as some cancers are detected in this way. So I would recommend attending all your screening appointments or asking for them if you are over 70. In the US you are recommended to get a mammogram every two years if you are between 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer. In Australia, women aged 50 to 74 are invited to have a free two-yearly mammogram. Women aged 40—49 and those aged over 74 are also eligible to receive a free mammogram but do not receive an invitation.
Breast Cancer and HRT
The risks of developing breast cancer while taking HRT are very small. I am not medically qualified, but if you are on HRT and are concerned, the link to the most recent article about HRT and breast cancer from Balance Menopause is below. The main thrust of the most recent research on HRT and breast cancer says that the risk is small and far outweighed by other risk factors such as drinking too much alcohol or being overweight.
What breast cancer risk factors can’t I change?
- Being a woman – 99% of new cases of breast cancer are in women.
- Getting older – 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. Most men who get breast cancer are over 60.
- A family history of breast cancer – if you have a family history of breast cancer, you and some other members of your family may have a higher-than-average risk of developing the disease.
Further information about breast cancer
Now, now if you want to find out more about breast cancer I will put the links to cancer research organisations which can help. As someone who used to work for one of these organisations, I know which cancer organisations have the most reliable, robust and up to date research, so I would urge you to go to them for help, advice and guidance. I do worry about one or two sites that I’ve seen where the research that they promulgate is not science based and isn’t backed by robust scientific data. If you stick to the well-recognised cancer research organisations like Cancer Research UK, Breast Cancer Now, the American Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, you will find all the information you will find all the further information you need.
Finally, a word about me and breast cancer. Firstly, I had a breast cancer scare when I was just 32. I had given birth to my son and a few months later noticed I had a painful lump on my left breast – this is in 1987 by the way! I went to the doctor who looked at it and told me it was probably nothing and to come back in six months if it was no better. Six months! So I went back six months later, and the doctor suggested I had it removed, which I did, and it turned out to be simply breast tissue mass. However, this wouldn’t, I hope, happen now, and I was very fortunate that it wasn’t serious.
Also, years later, when I was Head of Community Fundraising at what used to be Breakthrough Breast Cancer (now part of Breast Cancer Now), I met Prince, now King, Charles – see image below! He was patron of the charity, and a very engaged one at that. Sadly the tall blonde woman in the photo died a year or so after this picture was taken. Her name was Sally Balch and she left behind a husband and three children. I have known too many women who have lost their lives to this disease, so it is important for us older women to be aware, and raise awareness where we can.
Before you toddle off, I’d be super grateful if you’d subscribe to my monthly newsletter below – it’s’ not just a rehash of what’s in the blog – there’ll be plenty more useful intel on things that interest me, and hopefully you!
Have a great week,
Dez
xoxo
For more information
– Balance Menopause, HRT and breast cancer
Breast Cancer Now
American Cancer Society
Cancer Research UK