Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Everything you need to know
In 2018, an estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S. Learn what to know about this deadly cancer and preventative steps you can take to reduce your risk.
Still don't know what to look out for when it comes to breast cancer?
Fear not because leading charity Breast Cancer Care has teamed up with Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa to share potentially life-saving information on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Alexa will now be able to guide women through a breast check, highlighting the eight most common signs and symptoms of the disease.
Developed in partnership with the charity's expert clinical team, Breast Cancer Care hopes that Alexa's new powers will help women to feel more confident about checking their breasts.
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Many of us tend to only look out for a lump, but there are a number of other signs we need to be aware of - and Alexa won't let you forget about them.
Addie Mitchell, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Breast Cancer Care, says: “We know a third of women in the UK aren’t regularly checking their breasts, so having Alexa on hand to guide them will help empower many with the confidence to build this potentially lifesaving habit into their routine.
“Whatever your age it’s so important to get to know your breasts, and if you do spot anything unusual – be it a lump, redness or an inverted nipple - get it checked out by your GP. Anyone with any questions or concerns can call Breast Cancer Care’s expert nurses on 0808 800 6000.”
And women who actually have breast cancer will also benefit from Alexa's knowledge.
The tool will be sharing the latest information, inspiration and tips from the charity's end-of-treatment support app, BECCA, which can now be read out in Alexa's daily briefing.
These briefings will include five carefully selected articles, designed to help women adapt to life after breast cancer.
They can be on anything from healthy eating to managing long-term side effects, as well as empowering blogs by people who have had a breast cancer diagnosis.
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One in three women fail to regularly check their breasts, and a fifth of these women say it is because they don't know how to do it.
Mr Kislaya Thakur, an expert at BMI The Blackheath Hospital in South London, previously told us that: "The most common symptom of breast cancer is a lump usually found by patients themselves.
"However other symptoms can indicate breast cancer.
"These include blood stained nipple discharge, nipple inversion or flattening, dimpling or tethering - including an orange-peel appearance - of the skin over the breast, lumps in the armpit or neck, or any redness which may suggest inflammation or persistent pain."
Of course, there are a host of reasons why you might find a lump, dimpling or nipple discharge other than cancer, but it's always worth getting any changes checked out by a GP immediately.
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