Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Women aged between 50 and 71, who are reluctant or first-time breast screening invitees, are being encouraged to make or attend a pre-booked screening appointment. Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance’s #getintouchwithyourself campaign also urges people to make the time to regularly check their breasts or chest for any changes.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, killing around 11,400 women and 85 men here every year. Survival for breast cancer is generally good, if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives breast cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage. However this drops significantly as the disease develops. 

Breast screening

The NHS offers screening to save lives from breast cancer. Screening involves an X-ray test called a mammogram, which finds breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel.  

Some people are put off mammograms because they are often uncomfortable, and sometimes painful. But a mammogram appointment takes less than 30 minutes, and the mammogram itself only takes a few minutes – as long as it takes to make a cup of tea.

Breast screening saves lives as cancers can be diagnosed and treated earlier than they would have been without screening, often before you can even see or feel any changes to your breasts yourself. 

Videos

Sonia’s story

Sonia Bowers, 50, from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, had been scared to attend two breast screening appointments she received. After finding a lump during a self-check, she went to see her GP. Here, Sonia urges busy people to take time out to check themselves for breast cancer symptoms.

Sam’s story

Sam Ritchie, 41, from York, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in October 2023 after noticing a rash. In this video, Sam talks of the importance of checking your body regularly, and seeing a doctor if you notice any unusual changes.

Dr Marcia Pathak’s advice

Dr Marcia Pathak, from Raj Medical Centre in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, explains the symptoms of breast cancer.

Sam Lee’s advice

Sam Lee from Castle Hill Hospital explains the breast screening process.

Signs and symptoms

If you are a woman:

– a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
– a change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (which may look like orange peel), or redness (which may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
– a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
– nipple discharge, if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding, which may have blood in it
– a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted) or a rash, which may look like eczema.
– pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away. Breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom 

 

If you are a man:

– a lump or swelling in your chest or armpit
– liquid leaking from your nipples, which may have blood in it
– changes in the size or shape of either side of your chest
– sores or ulcers on your chest
– a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted) or a rash, which may look like eczema. 

Spreading the word

The Cancer Champions programme will be running bite-sized breast cancer education sessions to raise awareness about the disease.

  • Online breast cancer awareness session for women – click here to book
  • Online breast cancer awareness sessions for men – click here to book
  • Online breast cancer awareness sessions for people from the LGBTQ community – click here to book
  • Breast cancer awareness session for all (The Ironstone Centre, Scunthorpe): Tuesday 29th October at 12:30pm

Cancer Alliance volunteers will also be involved in awareness activity sessions at supermarkets and other community spaces.

Events with an * indicate the Super-size Screening Snakes and Ladders will be available to use (see below)

Super-size screening Snakes and Ladders

The Cancer Alliance has worked with Emily Lunn from Hull York Medical School (HYMS) to create a lifesize version of her fresh take on the classic Snakes and Ladders game.

Emily’s version of the game (with artwork created by Bluebeany) highlights the barriers and facilitators to attending an NHS breast screening. EMily received funding from Yorkshire Cancer Research.

“There are many challenges people face when thinking about attending breast screening. For some, it’s not as easy as just turning up for their mammogram because of various factors. The aim of this game is to start a conversation, while raising awareness of breast screening.

This game is not just for women aged 50-70 who are invited for breast screening, it is for everyone. We want everyone to feel comfortable talking about breast screening openly. We also want to highlight there are ways to overcome some of the challenges, and for them to raise awareness of breast screening with the women in their own lives.

The 3 metre x 3 metre version of the game, built by York company Press Green, will take centre stage at some of the Cancer Alliance’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month engagement sessions. Find out where the game will be this month, and take a roll of the dice.

Get involved

Breast cancer awareness will be spread across the Cancer Alliance’s social media channels too, using the hashtag #getintouchwithyourself. Follow the Cancer Alliance on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to help share the messages.

You can find contact information for support groups in our region for breast cancer and other forms of the disease here.

You can also help the Cancer Alliance by completing surveys on cancer experience of care, and attitudes to cancer.