Breast awareness

Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumours. If left unchecked, the tumours can spread throughout the body and become fatal.

Breast cancer cells begin inside the milk ducts and/or the milk-producing lobules of the breast. The earliest form (in situ) is not life-threatening and can be detected in early stages. Cancer cells can spread into nearby breast tissue (invasion). This creates tumours that cause lumps or thickening.

Invasive cancers can spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs (metastasize). Metastasis can be life-threatening and fatal. Treatment is based on the person, the type of cancer and its spread, which combines surgery, radiation therapy and medications.

Who is at risk?

Female gender is the strongest breast cancer risk factor. Approximately 99% of breast cancers occur in women and 0.5–1% of breast cancers occur in men. The treatment of breast cancer in men follows the same principles of management as for women. CertainW factors increase the risk of breast cancer including increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and HOage at first pregnancy), tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Approximately half of breast cancers develop in women who have no identifiable breast cancer risk factor other than gender (female) and age (over 40 years).

Breast cancer is now the world's most common carcinogenic disease, with the ailment likely to cause a million deaths a year by 2040, a new Lancet commission has found. Around 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in five years till the end of 2020 and about 685,000 women died from the disease the same year.

Globally, breast cancer cases will increase from 2.3 million in 2020 to more than 3 million by 2040, with low- and middle-income countries being "disproportionately affected", the commission estimated.

Breast cancer to claim one million lives a year by 2040: Lancet commission

How do I perform a self-check without iSCANBREAST?

‘How well do you know your breasts? If you are checking for something as serious as breast cancer, it’s important to know exactly how they usually look and feel, so that you can spot any changes quickly and report them to a medical professional.

The size, shape and consistency of every woman’s breasts is different and can even vary dependent on the time of the month as part of your menstrual cycle. As an example, some women would have tender and lumpy breasts, predominantly around the armpit and especially around the time of their period. Menopause would also bring about its own changes too with normal breasts feeling softer, less firm and not as lumpy. If you are looking to become more Breast Aware, you may wish to find out more by consulting the *NHS Breast Screening Programme which has a 5 point plan produced to make you more ‘Breast Aware’.

Our ‘hands-on’ guide to the Breast self-check
What am I searching for?
  • A change in the size, outline or shape of your breast
  • A change in the look or feel of your skin such as puckering or dimpling
  • A new lump, thickening or bumpy area in one breast or armpit that is different from the same are on the other side
  • Nipple discharge that is not milky
  • Bleeding from the nipple
  • A Moist, Red area on your nipple that doesn’t heal easily
  • Any change in nipple position such as, your nipple being pulled in or pointing differently
  • A rash on or around your nipple
  • Any discomfort or pain in one breast. Particularly if it’s a new pain and doesn’t go away (this is a rare symptom for Breast Cancer but it is still best to be aware)

Whilst the above signs do not always point towards Breast Cancer, it is important that Breast Cancer is ruled out as soon as possible by a GP. If Breast Cancer is found, it is more likely to be treated successfully if it is found early, so don’t delay !!!!– If you find something, speak to your GP today.

How can iSCANBREAST enhance the Breast self-check?

iSCANBREAST has been designed to enhance the Breast self-check rather than replace it. By feeling the breasts with your hands you can become more aware of the shape, texture and size of your breasts which will ultimately increase your breast awareness but, what you cannot do is get an internal view of any issues before they become visible to natural sight or touch. What about the areas you can’t see, feel or touch? You’d be forgiven for thinking that all is well once you have completed your self-check by hand and haven’t found anything unusual, but if there is a problem already starting to form below the surface, there is a high probability that you wouldn’t pick this up by hand checking alone.

Test your breast health knowledge with our interactive quiz! Gain insights into managing discomfort effectively and explore common concerns.

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iSCANBREAST has significantly impacted the lives of many women. Here’s what some of our users have to say