An alarmingly low percentage of Aussie women have visited their doctor for a breast check, and only one in four women are checking their breasts monthly.
That’s what new research by not-for-profit health fund HCF discovered, prompting a new awareness drive in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) during October.
The Hands On campaign, which incorporates educational sets of replica breasts ranging from healthy to showing symptoms that should be flagged with your doctor, is designed to teach Australians the breast cancer warning signs to check for in order to improve detection.
Visit www.hcf.com.au/hands-on for more information about the Hands On learning station, doctor-led Q&A sessions and information on breast self-examination.
In the latest HCF research, women aged 35 to 49 and over-50 cited not knowing what to look for as a reason they don’t conduct self-checks (40% and 27% respectively), while for many it is simply a case of forgetting to check (58% and 62%).
Nearly half of women aged 35 to 49 (44%), along with almost a third of women over-50 (31%), have also never been to the doctor for a professional breast exam.
Women aged 18 to 34 have the lowest knowledge of what to look (63%) or feel (61%) for during a self-exam, with 40% neglecting the practice because they feel they’re too young to need them.
Eight percent of women have found a painful lump in their breast, while 21% reported finding a hard but painless lump. Such lumps and other relatively unknown symptoms, can be warning signs of breast cancer.
“We know that one-in-eight Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and eight women will die each day, which makes being breast aware so vital,” said Dr Sarah Hosking, CEO of NBCF.
“We save lives through early detection. Research into early detection has resulted in a national breast screening program, which has helped Australians receive the right treatment at the right time, significantly improving survival rates.”
In 2016, it is estimated over 16,000 Australians will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
While the incidence of breast cancer increases with age, it can strike women at any age and can also affect men too. Australians need to be conducting frequent breast checks and become more breast aware.
This means becoming familiar with the unique shape, texture and feel of their breasts to increase early detection of unusual characteristics that may need closer examination by the doctor.
Here’s what to look for:
- A new lump or lumpiness, especially if it’s only in one breast
- Your breast changing in size or shape
- Any changes to the nipple, such as redness, inversion, crusting or discharge without squeezing
- A change in the skin, like redness or dimpling
- An unusual pain that doesn’t disappear.
