Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the UK, but anyone can get cancer - including men.
Breast cancer starts in the breast tissue, which everyone has in their chest. Signs of breast cancer may include:
- A lump in the breast
- A change in the shape of the breast
- Dimpling of the skin
- Fluid coming from the nipple
- A red or scaly patch of skin
For women, a breast screening (mammogram) can pick up breast cancer that is too small to feel or see. You will get your first invite between the ages of 50 and 53, and then be invited to one every 3 years until you turn 71.
Although it is very rare, men can get breast cancer,. You may be at risk if:
- You have other family members who have had breast or ovarian cancer
- If you have a condition, have damaged or had surgery to your testicles
- Work in a hot environment like steel works
- Have higher levels of oestrogen, which can be more likely if you are overweight, have long-term damage to your liver or have a condition called Klinefelter Syndrome
- Have had radiotherapy to your chest before
Around 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. Breast cancer survival has doubled in the last 50 years in the UK, with 3 in 4 women (around 75.9%) diagnosed with breast cancer surviving their disease for 10 or more years. In the 1970s, this was only about 40%.
