Breast cancer expert to discuss screening at public talk at Wythenshawe Hospital (From Messenger Newspapers)

Breast cancer expert to discuss screening at public talk at Wythenshawe Hospital

7:28pm Monday 8th October 2012 in News

THIS October, around 4,000 people will receive the devastating news they have breast cancer.

The number of people being diagnosed with the disease is increasing, but the good news is survival rates are improving.

UHSM (University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust) is home to the Nightingale and Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre.

Here, Professor Tony Howell works as a Medical Oncologist and on Wednesday October 17, 2012 at 12pm in Wythenshawe Hospital he is hosting a free and open talk that will look at breast screening as a way to improve health as well as diagnose the disease.

Tony says: “Nearly 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK - that’s one person every 10 minutes. There is no single cause of breast cancer. It results from a combination of our genes, the way we live our lives and our surrounding environment.

"However, the use of alcohol is linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, as is being overweight and a lack of exercise. These lifestyle risk factors are also associated with development of other diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If we can use screening as a way of identifying those at increased risk of breast cancer we can work towards offering these women advice on ways of reducing their breast cancer risk. Advice such as leading a healthier lifestyle and losing weight can not only help to reduce breast cancer risk but also help to reduce risk of other diseases and improve general health.”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and provides a great opportunity to focus on a disease that currently 1 in 10 women and 1 in 1,000 men will develop in their lifetime.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme screens around 1.6 million women a year and in those who attend screening, cancer is more likely to be found early which means the cancer is likely to be small with an increased chance that it can be removed by a lumpectomy (removal of the lump) rather than needing a mastectomy (removal of the whole breast). By people being more breast aware and taking part in the screening programme - which is estimated to save 1,400 lives a year – the disease can often be caught early. Screening also provides our staff with an opportunity to discus maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing future illness.”

At this very moment, an estimated 550,000 people in the UK will have had had a diagnosis of breast cancer. It is the second biggest cause of death from cancer for women after lung cancer, however it must be remembered that the disease affects men too though this is quite rare - around 300 men are diagnosed each year which equates to one man for every 150 women diagnosed.

Professor Howell’s Health Matters talk will run from 12noon – 1.15pm, in the Education & Research Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital and is open to everyone (no need to book). Refreshments will also be provided at 11.45am.