Survey finds that only a third of woman check themselves regularly for signs of breast cancer. Dr Chris Steele reports.

Many women are still not checking their breasts for signs of cancer.

Only 35% of women check their breasts regularly for the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and 23% rarely or never check at all.

The findings were revealed this week in a survey of 2,005 women, aged between 18 and 64 years old, carried out by the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Furthermore, more than one third (37%) of women who don't check their breasts said that this was because they didn't know how to check, or what to look for.

Although almost all women (88%) knew that a breast lump could be a sign of disease, few women were aware of other potential disease signs. These included changes to the breast size or shape, puckering or dimpling of the skin, discharge from the nipple, a sudden nipple inversion, breast or armpit pain unrelated to periods, unusual thickening of breast tissue and any changes in the nipple appearance.

The research also showed that many women (41%) could not remember receiving advice from their GP or practice nurse about regular breast checking. As a result, the charity will be sending breast cancer awareness posters to all GPs throughout the country in October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Dr. Chris says: "I will say this until I am blue in the face! All women should know their breasts and regularly check them for any changes. It's not complicated, you don't need to follow a set routine, you just need to know your own body and be aware of any changes which may occur."

More information
Dr Chris says "You can watch my video showing you how do this here: Dr Chris Steele Breast Examination video.


This content was created on Mon 15 September 2008

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