Breast cancer support

Educate yourself in honour of breast cancer awareness month and beyond

- Zoe Snell

Approximately nine New Zealanders are diagnosed with breast cancer every day – that’s more than 3300 people each year. One in nine women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, meaning you or someone you know could be affected by this disease.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Medical oncologist Belinda Kiely explains that the symptoms of breast cancer depend on where the tumour is and how quickly it’s growing in the breast.

“Most people diagnosed with breast cancer are diagnosed with early-stage disease, where the cancer is contained in the breast and the lymph nodes in the armpit,” she says. “Many people will have no symptoms and the breast cancer is found during a screening mammogram.”

There are some signs to watch out for though, including a lump or thickening in the breast, changes in the size or shape of the breast, changes to the nipple, including redness, ulcers or discharge, changes to the skin, including redness, rash or dimpling, or swelling or lumps in the armpit.

TREATMENT