Preston mum urges women to check their breasts after shock diagnosis
People across Lancashire are wearing pink today to raise awareness
Last updated 27th Nov 2023
Mandy Davis is The Head of Diversity and Organisational Development at Royal Preston Hospital and in November 2021, she was told she had TN (Triple-Negative) breast cancer.
She said:
"I got a pain in my right side which woke me up, I'd been boxing in the gym, so I just thought I'd pulled a muscle, but then I had a feel and I put my fingers straight on a lump.
Speaking this 'Wear it Pink Day' Mandy said:
"For me, it's about trying to reduce the stigma, encouraging people to do the checks regularly to give yourselves the best chance.
"If you find a lump, the chances are it's not going to be breast cancer, but if it is you're giving yourself the best chance of fighting it if you detect it early.
"It's incredibly important, raising awareness. Purely so that people can be reminded of the importance of early detection. The earlier you can be diagnosed the cancer, the more positive the prognosis is."
Today (Friday 21st October) Breast Cancer Now is holding it's 'Wear It Pink' Day where people across the UK are being encouraged to come to work or school dressed in pink. Bake sales and fundraisers are also being held across the country.
What is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
Triple negative breast cancer is a type of breast cancer. Around 15 out of 100 (15%) of breast cancers are of this type.
Triple negative breast cancers are cancers whose cells don’t have receptors for, the hormones oestrogen and progesterone or a protein called Her2.
A rare type of breast cancer known as basal type breast cancer is usually triple negative. Some women with triple negative breast cancer also have a BRCA1 gene fault. BRCA1 is one of the gene faults that can increase the risk of breast cancer within families.
Some men have triple negative breast cancer, but this is very rare. Most men have oestrogen receptors in their cancer cells.
Symptoms can include:
a new lump or thickening in your breast or armpit
a change in size, shape or feel of your breast
skin changes in the breast such as puckering, dimpling, a rash or redness of the skin
fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn’t pregnant or breast feeding
changes in the position of nipple
Make an appointment to see your GP if you notice anything different or unusual about the look and feel of your breasts.