Breast Cancer Awareness
Every October, you likely see a wealth of information about breast cancer. And that is a good thing. Awareness surrounding breast cancer is incredibly important as early detection, often through screening, can catch the disease when it is most treatable.
About 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. There’s a good chance of recovery if it’s detected at an early stage. For this reason, it is vital that women check their breasts regularly for any changes and always have any changes examined by a GP.
In rare cases, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.
What Are the Symptoms?
Breast cancer can have several symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue. Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but it’s always best to have them checked by a doctor.
You should also see a GP if you notice any of these symptoms:
• a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
• discharge from either of your nipples, which may be streaked with blood
• a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
• dimpling on the skin of your breasts
• a rash on or around your nipple
• a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
Breast pain is not usually a symptom of breast cancer.
What Are the Risk Factors?
The exact causes of breast cancer are not fully understood. However, there are certain factors known to increase the risk of breast cancer.
• age – the risk increases as you get older
• a family history of breast cancer
• a previous diagnosis of breast cancer
• a previous non-cancerous (benign) breast lump
• being tall, overweight or obese
• drinking alcohol
How Can I Lower My Risk?
As the causes of breast cancer are not fully understood, at the moment it is not possible to know if it can be prevented.
If you have an increased risk of developing the condition, some treatments are available to reduce your risk.
Studies have looked at the link between breast cancer and diet. Although there are no definite conclusions, there are benefits for women who:
• maintain a healthy weight
• exercise regularly
• have a low intake of saturated fat
• do not drink alcohol
It has been suggested that regular exercise can reduce your risk of breast cancer by almost as much as a third. Regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle can also improve the outlook for people affected by breast cancer.
If you’ve been through the menopause, it is particularly important that you try to get to, and maintain, a healthy weight. This is because being overweight or obese causes more oestrogen to be produced, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.
Useful links:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer/
https://breastcancernow.org/get-involved/breast-cancer-awareness-month
https://www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/news/put-prevention-first-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month/
If you feel you may need some support, you can also contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services.
All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support.
Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
Find out more about ‘breast cancer awareness’ and join our Clinical Director – Jessica Sullivan for a webinar on Friday 23rd October 2020 at 12pm using the link below –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1120174060394878991
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.