Breast cancer awareness

Knowing what your breasts look and feel like, and checking them regularly, can help you detect when somethings wrong. Find out what to look out for, including new lumps and changes in shape.
Watch a video on breast cancer screening

Breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women, with around 38,000 cases diagnosed every year in England. Around 2 0 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. !he lifetime ris" of any woman in England develo#ing breast cancer is around $ in $0.

Be breast aware
%etecting cancer early can mean that treatment is more effective. &nowing what your breasts normally feel li"e will hel# you be aware of any abnormal changes. 'ot all changes are a sign of breast cancer. (ome women have cysts or thic"ening of the breast tissue, which is normal. )ou can find out more aboutcauses of breast lum#s. *earn what your breasts loo" and feel li"e. !heir a##earance and feel can change at different times of the menstrual cycle. !he mil"+#roducing tissue in the breast becomes active in the days before a #eriod starts. (ome women find that their breasts feel tender and lum#y at this time, es#ecially near the arm#its. After a hysterectomy ,removal of the womb-, the breasts usually show the same monthly changes until the time when your #eriods would have sto##ed naturally. After the meno#ause, activity in the mil"+#roducing tissue sto#s. 'ormal breasts can feel soft, less firm and not lum#y. !he 'ational .nstitute for /ealth and 0linical E1cellence ,'.0E- advises that being breast aware means2 "nowing what3s normal for you loo"ing at your breasts and and feeling them "nowing what changes to loo" for re#orting any changes without delay

attending routine breast screening if you3re 40 or over Changes in the breast Be aware of the following changes in your breasts2

changes in the outline or sha#e of the breast, es#ecially those caused by arm movements or by lifting the breast changes in the loo" or feel of the s"in, such as #uc"ering or dim#ling discomfort or #ain in one breast that is unusual, #articularly if it is new and #ersistent any new lum#s, thic"ening or bum#y areas in one breast or arm#it, which differs from the same #art of the other breast and arm#it ni##le discharge that3s new for you and not mil"y bleeding from the ni##le moist, red areas on the ni##le that don3t heal easily any change in ni##le #osition, such as #ulled u# or #ointing differently a rash on or around the ni##le

.f you notice any of these changes, see your 56.

More on breast cancer

7ind out more about the '/( Breast 0ancer (creening 6rogramme. 7ind out more about breast cancer diagnosis andtreatment of breast cancer.

7ind cancer su##ort services near you