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After spotting a warning sign of breast cancer, Victoria Derbyshire was diagnosed with the condition in July 2015. Thankfully, her swift treatment was a success. What are the symptoms of the disease?
The mum-of-two alerted her doctor after she noticed an inverted nipple – one of the warning signs of breast cancer.
Two months following her diagnosis, on September 24, Victoria had a single mastectomy.
Helping to demystify cancer, the current affairs news presenter recorded six video diaries – available on YouTube – to document her ordeal.
Sitting up in the hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, Victoria held two pieces of card in front of the camera.
The first read: “THIS MORNING I HAD BREAST CANCER.” Then the second said: “THIS EVENING I DON’T!”
“Cancer can be manageable,” she told The Guardian. “You can go to work, have a drink if you want to, pick kids up from school.
“I didn’t know you could do all those things when you had cancer. I had no idea, so that was the big surprise for me.”
Signs of breast cancer
The Know Your Lemons Foundation highlights 12 signs of breast cancer. These are:
- A thick area
- Dimple
- Nipple crust
- Red or hot breast
- New fluid
- Skin sores
- Bump
- Growing vein
- Sunken nipple
- New shape or size
- “Orange peel” skin
- Hard lump
“Some [breast] changes are normal,” it stated. “But if the change doesn’t go away, be smart and show your doctor.”
This is because breast changes can come and go in sync with the menstrual cycle.
Thick area
Does a part of your breast feel different from the rest? Could it be described as more “dense” than “squishy”?
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A thickening of the breast – that doesn’t go away – may be a sign of breast cancer.
This occurs when cancer cells block circulation in the breast, or a tumour is growing near the surface of the skin.
Dimple
Also known as an indentation in the breast, to see this mark more clearly, use a light source directly overhead while you lift your arms up.
New fluid
Discharge from the nipple (outside of breast feeding, cysts, an infection or pregnancy) should be checked out by a doctor.
Sunken nipple
“Retracted nipples can be a normal shape of the breast,” explained the charity.
“However, if you notice your nipple sinking, flattening, or turning, it could be a sign of a new breast cancer tumour forming underneath.”
New shape or size
Know Your Lemons reassures that it’s common for one breast to be different in size and shape from the other.
It’s when one breast changes “size, flattens, swells or droops unexpectedly” it could be a sign of cancer.
Orange peel skin
When the skin of the breast looks like the “dimpled skin of an orange”, it’s a symptom of breast cancer.
The skin may or may not change colour, but an “orange peel” skin is a sign of inflammatory breast cancer.
For more information on how to check your breasts, visit Know Your Lemons.
Victoria Derbyshire stars on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on Sunday, November 15 at 9pm.
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