BREAST CANCER

What is it?

Breast cancer is a malignant growth.

Who gets it?

You can get breast cancer if you are a man, but the disease is more than 100 times more common in women.

Your risk is much higher if a close member or members of your family have suffered from it.

Your risks also go up as you reach your fifties.

You may be more likely to get breast cancer if you have never had children, had your first child late or have not breastfed.

Taking hormone replacement therapy increases your risk after a few years, and smoking or having a history of cysts in your breasts may put you at higher risk too.

What are the symptoms?

You may first notice a painless lump in your breast, which is hard and craggy. You may find that the skin over part of your breasts is dimpled, or tethered, as if something is pulling it in from the inside. Bloodstained discharge from your nipple can also be a warning sign. As a rule, pain in your breasts, especially related to your menstrual cycle, is not a worrying sign.

The best way to pick up possibly cancerous changes is to get to know what your breasts usually look and feel like, and to be aware of them during day-to-day activities such as bathing. This gives you the best chance of picking up changes at an early stage and getting them checked out..

When should I contact my GP?

If you notice any suspicious changes in your breasts you should make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible.

What tests will my doctor want to do?

Your GP will ask you questions and examine your breasts. If your GP has any concerns, he or she will refer you either for a special breast X-ray called a mammogram, or to see a consultant at the hospital.

What is the short-term treatment?

The consultant will want to take a sample of breast tissue to see if there is cancer there. This may be done at your outpatient appointment, or you may be asked to come in for an operation straight away. Treatment of breast cancer involves removing the lump and sometimes part or all of the rest of your breast - your consultant will explain what he or she wants to do and why.

After your operation, you will probably be sent for radiotherapy - a kind of X-ray treatment. You may also be started on a tablet called tamoxifen, which you will have to take for some years. Some patients need other types of drug treatment too.

Will I need long-term treatment?

You will need to be followed up as an outpatient in the hospital for several years.

How can I improve my chances?

You should get to know what your breasts are normally like, and keep a regular eye on them. If you do notice anything suspicious, you should not put off having any changes checked out by your doctor. You should also let your doctor know if close family members (your mother or sisters, for example) get breast cancer. Your GP may suggest in this case that you start having breast checks regularly quite early on.

Once you reach the age of 50 you should be invited every three years for a mammogram. Do go, and if you are not invited, let your GP know.