OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as part of a campaign to heighten awareness around the importance of checking for symptoms, a consultant surgeon at a Swindon hospital has urged women to be more 'breast aware.'

Breast cancer currently kills more than 11,000 women a year which amounts to an average of 32 women a day.

Ms Anushka Chaudhry a consultant breast and oncoplastic surgeon at BMI The Ridgeway Hospital at Wroughton says women need to take control and make regular checks.

“The most common symptom of breast cancer is a lump usually found by patients themselves.

"However other symptoms can indicate breast cancer and 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," said Ms Chaudhry.

“Women should start becoming 'Breast Aware' from the age of around 25-30. About once a month especially a few days after periods are over when the breasts are less lumpy and/or tender is the best time to check.

"I’d encourage women to make a habit of this. It enables women to pick up changes in their breasts early and seek specialist advice if needed.”

The UK has one of the highest breast cancer incidence rates worldwide and this is the most common form of cancer in the country. It also affects men with around 80 dying from the disease every year.

"Most people wrongly believe that the main reasons are a family history or a genetic predisposition to the disease, but in fact these account for less than 5-10 percent of breast cancers," says Ms Chaudhry.

"It is actually difficult to say why one woman may develop breast cancer and another may not. Prolonged use of Hormone Replacement Treatment, obesity, alcohol abuse, as well as past history of Radiotherapy to the upper half of the body can be contributing factors.

"On the other side of the coin, shown to have a protective effect are a higher number of full term pregnancies and breast feeding.”

Breast cancer represents a rising threat for women, with more women being diagnosed with breast cancer than any other cancer in the UK.

It stands as the second most common cause of death for women from cancer in the UK, and the second highest rising cancer in women. The number of newly diagnosed cases has risen by a fifth in a decade.

BMI Healthcare has launched a breast cancer awareness campaign to further raise awareness of breast cancer and is supporting Breast Cancer Now, a charity that believes if we all act now, everyone who develops breast cancer will live.

Earlier this year BMI Healthcare undertook research into whether breast cancer and its symptoms were understood and the survey revealed that one in three women are not checking their breasts and do not recognise the need for awareness of early diagnosis.

To download a free guide to checking for breast cancer go to: bmihealthcare.co.uk/be-breast-aware.