How to check for breast cancer symptoms

By: Sarah Young and Saman Javed

From: yahoo.com

In her book Hear Me Out, Harding wrote that she had felt pain around her breast but ignored it because she was in “denial”.

“At first I thought it was just a cyst. I’d been playing my guitar a lot, and I thought the strap had probably irritated an area around my breast.

“The trouble was, the pain was getting worse. It got so bad that I couldn’t sleep in a bed any more. I slept on the sofa, popping painkillers like they were Smarties.

“I really overdid it, but the pain was overwhelming. Eventually, my skin started to bruise, and by now I was terrified.”

Harding said she realised that she had been “in denial” and that something was “very wrong”.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK, with around one in eight women being diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime.

According to the latest statistics from Cancer Research UK, breast cancer accounted for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2017.

Despite this, a large number of women don’t check their breasts regularly for changes.

Joanna Franks, consultant breast and oncoplastic surgeon at HCA Healthcare UK, said: “Early diagnosis for breast cancer is so important, as it can prevent patients needing to undergo complex surgery and drug treatments.

“90 per cent of women diagnosed at an early stage will be alive and well five years post diagnosis however, this drops to just 15 per cent for those diagnosed at a later stage.”

For this reason, it’s vital that women do self-exams but just how do you do it, and what should you be looking for? Here’s everything you need to know.

What should my breasts feel like?

Before you start thinking about signs and symptoms of breast cancer, it’s important to get to know your own breasts and how they usually look and feel. That way, you can spot any changes and report them to your GP quickly.

Every woman’s breasts are different in size, shape and consistency, and the NHS states that it’s normal for one breast to be larger than the other.

It also says you might find your breasts feel different at different times of the month due to your menstrual cycle. Similarly, after menopause, some women’s breasts can feel softer and less firm.