Check your breasts

8 common signs to check for – women and men

1. Any unusual change in the shape or size of one of your breasts
2. If one breast has changed and become lower than the other.
3. Changes in skin colour or a rash around the nipple.
4. A nipple that has become pulled in or changed its position or shape (retraction of the nipples is normal in some women).
5. Puckering or dimpling of the skin.
6. A lump or thickening within the breast or armpit.
7. Discharge from one nipple or both.
8. Constant pain in one part of the breast.

The earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater the chance of successful treatment and cure. Remember 9 out of 10 breast lumps are not cancerous!

Download your 'check your breasts' poster!

Print a poster and display in your local gym, hairdresser, wine bar, or anywhere else you think it will make a difference... help us spread the word!

When to check your breasts

Examine your breasts once a month, for women preferably immediately after the end of your period. For women who do not have periods and for men, check yourself on the same day each month. If you have any doubts, please consult your doctor.

How to check

Begin by facing a mirror or lying down... but see the guided instruction from Breast Cancer Now here

One for the boys

Men Get Breast Cancer Too! Did you know that 370 - 400 men a year in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer? It usually affects men aged 50 and over, but it can be found in men of any age. The diagnosis of breast cancer in men, as well as the treatment, is very similar to that for women. However, over 80 men a year die from breast cancer due to not knowing men can get this type of cancer, and not doing regular checks. 

A grant from Walk the Walk helped fund Breast Cancer Now’s Male Breast Cancer Study, which has the largest collection of DNA and tumour samples from men with breast cancer in the world. Scientists are looking into both the genetic causes and treatments for male breast cancer. Read more information from Breast Cancer Now about breast cancer in men here.

Did you know?

• Around 40% of cancers are preventable, this equates to nearly 155,000 cases in the UK a year.
• Eating a healthy diet, being more active each day and maintaining a healthy weight are – after not smoking – the most important ways you can reduce your cancer risk.
• Women who are physically active have a 13% reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer and a 7% decreased risk of premenopausal breast cancer compared to women who are less active.
• WCRF recommends that to help prevent cancer, we should make being physically active part of our everyday lives.. 

Fact

• 1 in 8 women in the UK will experience some form of breast cancer during their lifetime. The statistics are very similar across the Western World.
• Whilst more women are being successfully treated and surviving primary breast cancer, a lot more research is still needed into secondary breast cancer in women. 
• A man can have an increased risk of breast cancer, if a number of close female relatives have been affected by breast cancer, particularly at a young age. Men can inherit the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which also cause breast cancer in women
• Many men are diagnosed with breast cancer relatively late because they didn’t realise breast cancer could affect them too.