When Was the Last Time You Checked Your Breasts?

This October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, shining a light on the 20,973 Australians that are expected to receive a breast cancer diagnosis in 2024.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst Australian women, with 1 in 7 receiving a diagnosis in her lifetime.

We’ve all heard the horror stories, but as Dr Patsy Soon explains, keeping our breasts healthy and cancer-free can be as simple as paying close attention to any changes.

Breast surgeon at Bankstown Hospital and Clinical Director of BreastScreen South Western Sydney, Dr. Patsy Soon has played a pivotal role in enhancing breast cancer awareness, detection, and treatment.

She shared in a recent episode of the She Wasn’t Born Yesterday podcast how Breast cancer is a substantial issue for women, particularly those over the age of 40.

“The two main [risk factors are] increasing age and being female.”

“The incidence actually rises steadily from age 25 to 29, and more steeply from 35 to 39, and its highest in the older age group,” Dr. Patsy said.

“This rise in cases is primarily due to the natural aging process, wherein cells in the body are more likely to mutate over time.

“As we get older, with the cells growing each time, there can be more mutations within the DNA of the cells, and then that predisposes to cancer formation.”

Despite these daunting statistics, there’s a silver lining – early detection remains the most effective strategy.

Conducting regular self-examinations and being mindful of any new lumps or changes can make a world of difference.

“If the cancer is small and just in the breast, so stage one, 100% of women will live five years.”

Conducting regular self-examinations and being mindful of any new lumps or changes can make a world of difference.

Moreover, older women shouldn’t dismiss the necessity of regular mammograms.

Although Breastscreen actively invites women aged 50 to 74, those over 74 should also remain vigilant and can still get mammograms if they choose to.

Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro