7 Aussie women die every day - that's more than 2,500 deaths a year
Early detection of breast cancer helps increase the survival and provides the best chance of effective treatment for women with the disease.
What you should look out for?
- A lump, lumpiness or thickening of the breast
- Changes to the nipple such as a change in shape, crusting, a sore or an ulcer, redness or an inversion of the nipple.
- Discharge from one nipple; if this is blood stained, clear or occurs without squeezing.
- Changes in the skin of the breast such as any puckering or dimpling of the skin, unusual redness or other colour change.
- Changes in the size or shape of the breast; this might be either and increase or a decrease in size.
- Unusual pain that is persistent and doesn't go away, if this not related to the normal monthly cycle and occurs in one breast only.
What can you do to reduce the risk?
- Maintain a healthy weight throughout your life
- Be moderately physically active, equivalent to brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day
- Eat a balanced diet including at least 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit a day
- Limit alcoholic drinks to no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women
- Aim to exclusively breastfeed babies for up to 6 months and continue with complementary feeding thereafter
Two things you can do today
- Know what is normal for your breasts, get to know how they look and feel and regularly check for any changes.
- Women aged 50-69 years can call 13 20 50 for a free mammogram
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