October is breast cancer awareness month, and on 24th October people will be joining together wearing pink in all sorts of possible ways, to help raise money to support vital research and care. But are you actually aware of your own risks?
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit
- A change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling
- A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed
- A nipple change, for example it has become pulled in (inverted)
- Rash or crusting around the nipple
- Unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple
- Changes in size or shape of the breast
On its own, pain in your breasts is not usually a sign of breast cancer. But look out for pain in your breast or armpit that’s there all or almost all the time.
Although rare, men can get breast cancer too. The most common symptom of breast cancer in men is a lump in the chest area.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, it accounts for about 15% of all cancer diagnoses, across the UK 150 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every day, sadly 31 of them will lose their fight against the disease.
Causes and risks include:
- Age – the risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. The condition is most common in women over 50 who have been through the menopause, about 8 out of 10 cases of breast cancer occur in women over 50.
- Family history – if you have a close relative with breast or ovarian cancer you may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Most cases of breast cancer do not run in families but genes known as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase your risk as it is possible for this to be passed from parent to child.
- Previous breast cancer or lump – a benign lump does not mean you have breast cancer, but certain types of breast lumps may slightly increase your risk of developing cancer, as some benign lumps change your breast tissue, such as cells growing abnormally in ducts and lobes.
- Breast density – your breasts are made up of thousands of tiny glands, this glandular tissue contains a high concentration of breast cells than other breast tissue, making it denser. Women with dense breast tissue may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer as there are more cells that can become cancerous.
- Hormone and hormone medicine – your risk of developing breast cancer rises slightly depending upon how much oestrogen your body is exposed to, for example your periods started at a younger age, or you experienced menopause later than average you will have been exposed to oestrogen for a longer period. HRT can also increase the risk of breast cancer if taken for longer than 1 year. The contraceptive pill also provides a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer, but this risk decreases once you stop and is back to normal 10 years after stopping.
- Lifestyle factors - including being overweight, low activity/exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol increases risk factors.
- Radiation – certain medical procedures, such as x-rays and CT scans increase your risk of breast cancer.
How to check your breasts:
There’s no special way, but it is as easy as TLC:
Touch your breast: can you feel anything new or unusual?
Look for changes: does anything look different to you?
Check any new or unusual changes with your GP
Get used to checking your breasts regularly, prevention is a good place to start, so get to know your own breasts!
What to do if you find a lump:
- Don’t panic – most breast lumps turn out to be benign (non-cancerous)
- Don’t hesitate to call your GP
- Make sure you get answers - it is important that your doctor gives you an explanation for the lump
Through Employee Benefits, companies can provide their employees with access to resources, financial protection, and wellbeing support when it matters most.
If you’d like to learn more about the range of policies available that can support your employees please contact us via ebenquiries@thecleargroup.com or visit our webpage.
