Television presenter Davina McCall has revealed she received surgery for breast cancer last month.
In a moving Instagram video, the former Big Brother presenter said she was “very angry” by the discovery but feels in a “much more positive place”.
McCall, 58, said she discovered a lump in her breast after checking herself. “It was very, very small, so I got it very, very early which is incredibly lucky,” she added. “But I am so relieved to have had it removed and to know that it hasn’t spread.”
It comes a year after McCall underwent surgery to remove a rare brain tumour.
Following her breast cancer surgery, former Comic Relief host thanked medical staff at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where she had the lumpectomy, and urged others to “get checked”.
Here, The i Paper takes a closer look at breast cancer’s early signs and symptoms, as well as ways to reduce the chances of developing the disease.
Breast cancer symptoms
The cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the breast begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way and eventually form a growth – or tumour.
The disease most commonly starts in the cells that line the milk ducts of the breast, according to Cancer Research UK.
Symptoms can include:
A lump or swelling in the breast, chest or armpit. A change in the breast’s skin, such as redness or dimpling that looks similar to an orange peel. A change in the size or shape of one or both breasts. Nipple discharge in women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding as well as men, which may include blood. A change in the shape or appearance of the nipple. This can include nipple inversion, which occurs when it turns inwards, or a rash that appears similar to eczema. Pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away. Breast pain which comes and goes is not typically a symptom of the disease. Men with breast cancer can also develop sores and ulcers on their chest.Breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body, most commonly affecting the bones, liver, lungs or brain. When the disease spreads to another part of the body, it is referred to as secondary breast cancer.
The vast majority of breast cancer patients (about 99 per cent) are women, but men can also develop the disease.
www.instagram.com/p/DQyw-o9DSgl/In the UK, approximately 56,900 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK, with one in seven women developing the disease in their lifetime.
Detecting early signs and reducing the risk of breast cancer
The NHS advises that people check their breasts or chest once a month to develop an understanding what they regularly look like, as well as check for indications of cancer or other conditions.
It recommends that people inspect the appearance of their breasts or chest in the mirror with their arms at their sides as well as raised in the air. People are also advised to feel around their chest and each breast in a circular motion, beginning from the collarbone, circling around the nipple and up to the armpit.
The health service also urges people to lightly press into their skin to feel behind the nipple, as well as check each armpit using a mixture of light and firmer pressure.
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Those who detect symptoms in their breasts or chest are advised to see a GP or community nurse.
Women aged 50 and over are automatically invited to receive breast screening every three years until the age of 71.
Attending breast screenings – also known as mammograms – can allow health officials to find cancers that may be too small to see or feel.
Lifestyle changes can also help reduce the risk of developing cancer, including adhering to a healthy diet, losing weight when overweight, stopping smoking, and reducing the consumption of alcohol.
While the causes of breast cancer are not always clear, people may be more at risk of getting the disease if they:
Are over 50 years old. Have dense breast tissue. Have relatives who had breast or ovarian cancer, especially those who inherited faulty genes that increase the risk of the disease. Already suffer from certain breast conditions, such as benign breast disease, ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ. Have higher levels of the hormones oestrogen, progesterone or testosterone.Those with close relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer may also be eligible for an NHS genetic test and are advised to contact their GP for more information.
Patients deemed very high risk can remove their breasts through medicines or surgery – a process known as a mastectomy.
The NHS encourages those worried about the effects the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy may have on their risk of contracting the disease to talk to their GP.
The likelihood of trans men, trans women, and non-binary individuals to develop the diseases depends on whether they have undergone surgery or are taking hormones.
Treatment
Treatments for breast cancer will depend on its type, location and size, as well as the general condition of patient’s health.
The main treatment for breast cancer is surgery. That could include surgery to remove the area of the breast with cancer, the whole breast, or the lymph nodes in the armpit – small glands that form part of the body’s immune system.
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which use respectively radiation and medicines to kill cancer cells, are also common forms of treatment.
Some forms of breast cancer are affected by different hormones in the body, which can make them develop faster. These can be treated using hormone therapy to lower the amount of certain hormones in the body or prevent them from getting to breast cancer cells.
Immunotherapy, which guides the body’s own immune system to fight cancer through different medicines and clinical methods, is also a common form of treatment. It works by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
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