LMSSA(Lond), LRCP(Lond), LRCS(Eng), MS,FRCS
Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
Breast cancer
Female breasts are made up of lobules (milk-producing glands) and ducts (tubes that carry milk to the surface of the nipple). Both are surrounded by glandular, fibrous (connective) and fatty tissue.
Most breast lumps aren’t cancerous. Usually, they are fluid-filled lumps (cysts) or a fibroadenomas, which are lumps made up of fibrous and glandular tissue. There are other forms of breast lumps that are also benign but may require a biopsy or removal such as papillomas (a wart-like growth inside the milk ducts) and sclerosing lesions of the breast (having extra tissue growth inside the breast lobules)
How does breast cancer occur?
Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to divide and grow in an abnormal way. There are several types of breast cancer. It can be diagnosed at different stages and can grow at different rates. This means that people can have different treatments, depending on what will work best for them.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK and the average woman has a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer of 1 in 8.
Symptoms:
a lump in the breast
a change in the size or shape of the breast
dimpling of the skin or thickening in the breast tissue
a nipple that’s turned in (inverted)
a rash (like eczema) on the nipple
discharge from the nipple
swelling or a lump in the armpit
We encourage all women to be breast aware and to perform self-examination on regular basis. Being breast aware is part of caring for your body. It means getting to know how your breasts look and feel so you know what is normal for you. For the latest information and guidance on self-examination please follow this link to breast cancer care charity publications.