Breast way to take care of your assets

Early detection is the best possible chance of survival and key to this is recognising the signs.

Health chiefs say a simple self-examination once a month can alert you to any abnormalities. Use the pads of your fingers to examine your breast tissue, move around your entire breast in a circular motion and the tissue that extends towards your arm pit.

Changes to look for when carrying out a breast exam include:

- Any change in the size, shape or feel of your breast.

- Any new lumps or thickening in one breast or armpit.

-Puckering, dimpling or redness of the skin, any changes in the position of the nipple or nipple discharge.

Dr Doug Black, medical director for Nottighamshire in NHS England, said: “Each woman is an expert on their own body – the changes you go through or anything new and out of the ordinary.

“Therefore being ‘breast aware’ is about taking care of you and a part of that is self-examination.

“If you find a lump or notice anything different, make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible.”

NHS England in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire commissions a breast screening programme for women aged 50 - 70.

As part the programme, women receive a mammogram once every three years, which can detect tumours too small to be felt by hand.