Breast cancer

A lump in the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer. Most breast lumps are not cancer but it is always important to get checked by your doctor.

In the video below Bami talks about the importance of checking your breasts and knowing what is normal for you.

If you have any symptoms or notice anything else that is unusual for you. If breast cancer is diagnosed and treated early, treatment is more likely to be successful

You usually start by seeing your GP. They will examine you and refer you to a breast clinic to see a specialist.

Or you may be referred through NHS breast screening programmes. This is usually if there are changes on your mammogram. Breast screening is a way of finding breast cancer at an early stage, when it is too small to be felt or seen.

At the clinic, you will see a specialist breast doctor or a nurse. You may also see a breast care nurse. They usually ask you if:

• you have had any other breast problems or health problems
• anyone in your family has had breast cancer or ovarian cancer
• you have been through the menopause
• you are taking any medicines – for example, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or the contraceptive pill.

The doctor or nurse will examine your breast or chest area and the lymph nodes in your armpits and above your collarbone.

After your examination, your doctor or nurse will tell you what tests you need:

If the biopsy results show there are breast cancer cells, you will need further tests. You may have the following tests to check your general health: 

You may also have tests to find out more about the size of the cancer, or if it has spread anywhere else in the body – the stage of the cancer:

Breast cancer cells may have receptors on the outside of the cells. Hormones, such as oestrogen, can attach to the receptors and encourage the cells to grow.

Some breast cancer cells have too much of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) on their surface. 

A doctor called a pathologist tests cancer cells taken during a biopsy or surgery for receptors.

The result help you and your doctor decide on the most effective treatment for you. 

After treatment, you will have regular check-ups with your cancer doctor or regular contact with your breast care nurse.

You will have mammograms every year for 5 years on the other breast. If you have had breast-conserving surgery, you will have mammograms on both breasts. If you have had a double mastectomy, you will not be offered mammograms.

After 5 years, if you are 50 or over, you usually have mammograms through the NHS breast screening programmes. Younger women usually continue to have yearly mammograms after the first 5 years, until they reach 50.

Your treated breast will look and feel different. Your nurse can tell you what you to expect and what to check for. It is also important to be aware of what to look out for in your untreated breast. You can read more about symptoms of breast cancer.

You may get anxious between appointments. This is natural. It may help to get support from family, friends or a support organisation.

Macmillan is also here to support you. If you would like to talk, you can:

• Call the Macmillan Support Line for free on 0808 808 00 00.
• Chat to our specialists online.
• Visit our breast cancer forum to talk with people who have been affected by breast cancer, share your experience, and ask an expert your questions.

Lymphoedema is a swelling of the arm or hand on the side you had treatment. It sometimes happens after surgery or radiotherapy to the lymph nodes in the armpit. It usually develops slowly, months or years after treatment.

There are things you can do to help reduce your chances of developing lymphoedema. If you notice any swelling in your arm, hand or chest, always ask your doctor or nurse to check it.

If you notice any swelling in your arm, hand or chest, ask your doctor or nurse to check it. The earlier lymphoedema is diagnosed, the easier it is to manage and treat successfully.

Breast cancer treatments can have a direct effect on your sex life. In younger women some treatments may also affect being able to get pregnant (fertility).

For example, surgery may affect how you think and feel about your body (body image) which can affect your sex life. It can take time to adjust to changes to your body. If you have a partner, it can help to talk openly with them about your feelings. If any difficulties do not improve, ask your breast care nurse or doctor for advice.

If you have not been through menopause your doctor or nurse will advise you not to use contraception containing hormones. Women thinking of getting pregnant in the future will usually be advised to wait for 2 years.

If doctors think your treatment may affect your fertility, it may be possible to remove eggs from your ovaries before treatment starts. This may mean you can have fertility treatment in the future.

Fertility issues can hard to cope with. You may find it helpful to talk to a trained counsellor.

Some treatments can cause an early or temporary menopause. Hormonal therapy can cause side effects that are the same as menopausal symptoms.

Doctors do not recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is because it contains oestrogen. This could encourage breast cancer cells to grow. But there are different ways of managing menopausal symptoms.

Early menopause can increase the risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis). We have more information about looking after your bones, including helpful tips on keeping them healthy.

A number of organisations, including the Daisy Network, provide support to women going through the menopause.

Even if you already have a healthy lifestyle, you may choose to make some positive lifestyle changes after treatment.

Making small changes to the way you live such as eating well and keeping active can improve your health and well-being and help your body recover.

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.