Breast cancer: Woman who got diagnosis at 23 encourages checks - BBC

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At a glance

Check your breasts, says Siobhan Harrison who noticed a lump aged 23 while getting dressed
Breast cancer "changes you forever" she says but there is "light at the end of the tunnel"
About 2,800 people are diagnosed in Wales every year
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden from Caerphilly says she has grade three breast cancer

12 minutes ago

A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 23 is encouraging young people to get their own breasts checked for the disease.

Siobhan Harrison said she first noticed a lump while getting dressed.

She said the diagnosis changed her life "forever", but wanted to reassure others that "there is light at the end of the tunnel”.

It comes as the Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden revealed her grade three breast cancer diagnosis.

About 2,800 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in Wales every year.

Siobhan, from Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent, told BBC Radio Wales how she first noticed a lump on the top of her chest in December 2020.

She said while the lump didn't hurt she went to her GP anyway, only to be told there would be a nine-month wait for further tests.

Instead she paid £200 for a private ultrasound and the lump was shown to be cancerous.

She then had 12 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy to “mop up any cancer cells” that were left.

“It was pretty intense treatment,” explained Siobhan, who was off work for eight months during her treatment.

She said she received the all-clear in July last year, and will need to have a mammogram every year until she is 50.

She said she wants to encourage other young people to watch for changes, and now volunteers for the breast health awareness charity Coppafeel.

“Please get checking," she said. "Get to know what is normal for your body, go to your GP, keep pushing if you feel as though something is wrong.

“A cancer diagnosis changes you forever," she said. "It's not all doom and gloom, there have been some positives to it.”

Oncoplastic breast surgeon consultant Zoe Barber said: "The most important thing is to get to know and love your boobs, it's never too early to start that.

“Your breasts are normal for you, your chest is normal for you.

"Get to know it, get to love it, and that means you’re best placed to identify a change.”

How to check your chest

Ms Barber said breast tissue is normally "lumpy and bumpy" and can change at different stages of the menstrual cycle.

She said the best way to check is to touch your chest with an open palm once a month at the same point in your cycle, feeling for any changes.

Do not hesitate to go to your GP if you look in the mirror and see:

A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit
A change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling
A change in the colour of the breast, possibly redness or inflammation
A nipple change such as it becoming pulled in (inverted)
Rash or crusting around the nipple
Unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple
Changes in size or shape of the breast.
Pain in your breasts is not usually a sign of breast cancer, but look out for pain in your breast or armpit that is there all or almost all the time.