NHS Lincolnshire ICB is supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October, in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of screening and early detection of breast cancer.
There are around 55,200 new breast cancer cases in the UK every year, that’s around 150 every day (2015-2017). Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases (2017). In females in the UK, breast cancer is the most common cancer, with around 54,700 new cases in 2017.
The sad fact is that nearly 1,000 UK women still die of breast cancer every month. However, the good news is that most women will survive breast cancer if it is detected and treated early.
Breast screening provides early detection in women who appear well and do not have any symptoms of the disease. More women than ever are surviving breast cancer thanks to better awareness, better screening and better treatments – an estimated five out of six women diagnosed with breast cancer in England and Wales survive for at least five years.
Dr Sunil Hindocha, GP and Medical Director for NHS Lincolnshire ICB said:
“In many cases, breast cancer is detected by women noticing unusual changes in their breast and taking the initiative to visit their GP practice. These changes can include unusual lumps, breast pain, changes in texture of the skin or unusual discharge.
“We recommend that all women should check themselves regularly and be aware of how their breasts look and feel normally so that anything unusual is more easily spotted and can be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.”
Currently, women aged 50-70 who are registered with a GP are automatically invited for breast screening every three years. In England, the NHS has extended this age range so that women aged 47 to 73 are to be invited for screening. Women under the age of 47 will not be offered routine screening unless they have been identified as being higher risk, for example because of their family history.
Around 350 UK men are also diagnosed with breast cancer every year.