With one in two people now getting cancer at some point in their lifetime, the threat is more evident than ever. bre@st cancer was the most common cancer worldwide in women contributing more than 25% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2012.
There were 53,696 new cases of bre@st cancer in the UK alone in 2013 and 11,433 deaths in 2014. Thankfully due to increasing awareness and advances in treatment the survival rate is now 78%, but it’s important to catch it early.
While most people know to look out for lumps and bumps, there are a whole host of other warning signs that aren’t spoken about as often.
October is bre@st cancer awareness month and in a bid to raise awareness, here are nine early symptoms you should look out for:
1. Lump or thickening in your bre@st or armpit
2. Change to the skin of your bre@st
3. Changes in the shape or size of your bre@st
4. Dimpling of the skin or thickening in the bre@st tissue
5. A nipple that’s turned in (inverted)
6. A rash (like eczema) on the nipple
7. Nipple changes or discharge
8. Pain in your bre@st
9. Any other unusual or persistent changes to your bre@st
What should I do if I have any of these symptoms?
See your GP as soon as possible if you notice any symptoms of bre@st cancer. Your GP will examine you. If they think your symptoms need further assessment they’ll refer you to a specialist bre@st cancer clinic.
Don’t be worried about wasting your doctor’s time – it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
How is bre@st cancer diagnosed?
The most common way doctors look for bre@st cancer in women is to identify lumps in the bre@st. They most often do this with mammogram x-rays and sometimes an ultrasound scan – usually in women over 35.
These tests will detect whether there are any unusual lumps or bumps inside the bre@st. If they find anything worrying they will then do a biopsy, where a sample of tissue cells is taken from the bre@st to see if it’s cancerous.
You may also need a scan and a needle test on lymph nodes in your armpit (axilla) to see whether these are also affected.
If you do have a cancerous lump, your specialist will then decided the best corse of treatment.
How is bre@st cancer treated?
Due to medical advances there are now a whole host of different treatment options for bre@st cancer.
Depending on your exact diagnosis you may have a combination of any of the following: surgery, radiation, hormonal (anti-estrogen) therapy and chemotherapy.
There are also complementary and holistic medicines and techniques such as yoga and meditation, that can be given alongside stronger treatment.
For more information on bre@st cancer and the treatment options go to breastcancer.org
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