Audrey Birt: Campaign to detect breast cancer early will save lives

THE KEY message from the “breast cancer, detect cancer early” campaign is that lumps aren’t the only sign of cancer. But why is this campaign important? Because we know the best predictor of a good outcome following a breast cancer diagnosis is how early that diagnosis is.

And from the surveys we have done at Breakthrough Breast Cancer as well as the research for this campaign we know many women still don’t know all the signs and symptoms to look out for.

They know, in the main, about lumps but it’s not just lumps, it’s about any changes to your breast from what is normal for you. It’s about changes to the size or shape of the breast, any change in texture, appearance or direction of the nipple, discharge, rash or crusting. The preparation we did for our own TLC message and iBreastcheck app told us that women didn’t know what to look for and weren’t sure what to do. This latest campaign will definitely help. It’s bold, it shows us all the reality of what breast cancer could look like and gets the message over that the earlier you check with your doctor, the better. It’s going to get people talking, I am sure, and ultimately people are going to be better informed as a result.