Thousands affected by breast cancer impacted by pandemic

Baroness Delyth Morgan

Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Now, the Research and Care Charity

The coronavirus outbreak continues to be an extremely difficult and uncertain time for so many people affected by breast cancer.

Nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in women in the UK are breast cancers, with around 55,000 women and 370 men diagnosed each year.

The coronavirus outbreak is having major impacts on the lives of thousands of people affected by breast cancer. We must ensure patients whose appointments, screening and treatments have been delayed – either to help reduce their risk of infection or as the NHS tried to cope with demands during the outbreak – are seen as soon as possible.

At Breast Cancer Now, the research and care charity, we are here to support patients and their families through whatever they’re facing, now more than ever.

The importance of breast awareness

Many women have been concerned or uncertain about getting possible breast cancer symptoms checked out during the pandemic, but it’s so important everyone continues to check their breasts regularly and gets in touch with their GP if they notice anything different or new. Signs and symptoms can include a lump, nipple discharge, or dimpling or puckering of the skin of the breast.

Checking your breasts only takes a few minutes, just remember to check the whole breast and the surrounding area, including the upper chest and armpits. There’s no special way, it’s as simple as TLC; Touch, Look, Check.

We must ensure that anyone with unusual breast changes feels safe to come forward and to speak to their doctor. While most breast changes won’t be breast cancer, the sooner the disease is diagnosed, the more likely treatment is to be successful.

Checking your breasts only takes a few minutes, just remember to check the whole breast and the surrounding area, including the upper chest and armpits. There’s no special way, it’s as simple as TLC; Touch, Look, Check.

New research during the outbreak

It’s crucial that we continue to consider new ways to guide the best possible treatment for breast cancer patients during the pandemic, while minimising the risks of the virus.

Thanks to research, we can now identify patients with a specific type of breast cancer who must be prioritised for surgery or chemotherapy urgently, and those who could safely be given hormone therapy to delay further treatment during the pandemic.

The pandemic has unfortunately put a lot of lab-based breast cancer research on hold. However, as labs across the country start to reopen, we hope they can return to normal capacity as soon as possible to continue their life-changing work.

Support in a new way

As the UK’s first comprehensive breast cancer charity, we’re determined to make sure anyone affected by breast cancer continues to receive the support and information they need, the whole way through this crisis and beyond.

We are offering new online support with our Moving Forward end-of-treatment courses and a Living with Secondary Breast Cancer programme for those with an incurable diagnosis. We have also extended our Someone Like Me service for people with a primary diagnosis to provide one-to-one support for people feeling isolated or anxious as a result of the pandemic crisis.