New research published today, by Breakthrough Breast Cancer shows that only 35% of women aged 18-64 check their breasts regularly. As a result, Avon Cosmetics, has pledged to join the charity’s Talk TLC campaign Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Avon have challenged all 170,000 Avon Representatives to Talk TLC to 10 customers in a bid to reach 1.7 million women in the UK with the charity’s vital health messages.
As well as showing that only 35% of women check their breasts regularly, Breakthrough’s survey of 2,005 women aged between 18 and 64 also reveals that, nearly one in four women (23%) rarely or never check their breasts for the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, 71% of women who say they rarely or never check their breasts either forget or simply never think about it and over a third (37%) of women who report not checking their breasts regularly say it's because they don’t know how to check or what to look out for.
Breakthrough’s survey results also show that confusion still exists among women when it comes to naming signs and symptoms of breast cancer. While the majority of women (88%) Breakthrough asked recognised lumps as a possible sign of the disease, most women did not know about the other signs. Only 12% identified changes in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling of the skin, 7% knew about a sudden inversion of the nipple.
Just over a quarter (26%) recognised discharge from the nipple, 8% could identify changes in the appearance or direction of the nipple, 5% recognised that changes in the size or shape of the breast might be a sign and only 4% knew about lumpy areas or unusual thickenings
However, all of these could be signs of the disease and should be reported to a GP as soon as possible.
Dr Sarah Cant Policy Manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer says: "Breakthrough hopes to encourage as many people as possible to Talk TLC this Breast Cancer Awareness Month by visiting www.touchlookcheck.org.uk and passing on our crucial breast awareness message: Show your breasts some TLC - Touch and Look for all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and Check anything unusual out with your doctor. Most women associate lumps with breast cancer but there are a whole range of other signs and symptoms to be aware of.
"Checking your breasts isn’t complicated and there’s no need to follow a fancy routine. Just be familiar with how they look and feel normally. You can do this in any way that makes you feel comfortable - in the bath or shower, when dressing, standing or lying down. If you find any unusual changes or are worried by anything, you should talk to your GP straight away.
"We know that the earlier that breast cancer is diagnosed the more likely it is that treatment will be successful. With Avon’s help, Breakthrough has a fantastic opportunity to make a huge impact by reminding people of the importance of being breast aware and showing their breasts some TLC."
If you do find something unusual don't panic. Remember that nine out of ten breast lumps are not cancerous.