Updated

Updated · BBC.com · Jun 17

Dog's Bash Helped Detect Lesley Goodburn's Breast Cancer, Which Makes Up 15% of Cases

Updated

Updated · BBC.com · Jun 17

Dog's Bash Helped Detect Lesley Goodburn's Breast Cancer, Which Makes Up 15% of Cases

Q: Why are thousands of breast cancers missed by mammograms, and what are the non-lump symptoms women should know?

Thousands of breast cancers are missed by mammograms because some tumors, especially invasive lobular carcinoma, do not grow as a clear, round lump. Instead, they often spread in thin lines or single cells through the breast, making them harder to see on imaging and harder to feel. Mammograms are less sensitive for this type of cancer, and detection becomes even more difficult in dense breasts, where both dense tissue and tumors can appear white on the scan. Experts note that mammograms may show only part of a lobular tumor, while ultrasound or MRI is often needed to reveal its full extent. Lobular breast cancer accounts for about 10% to 15% of breast cancer cases, or roughly 8,400 diagnoses a year in the UK. It is frequently overlooked because it often lacks the classic warning sign of a distinct lump and may not produce the calcifications or obvious architectural changes that mammograms detect more easily in other cancers. Women should know that breast cancer symptoms are not limited to lumps. Warning signs can include a thickened or hardened area in the breast or underarm, an unusual ridge or fullness, changes in breast size or shape, dimpling or puckering of the skin, an orange-peel texture, itching, tingling, pulling sensations, nipple inversion, nipple discharge, or redness and swelling. The key message from clinicians and campaigners is that a normal mammogram does not rule out cancer if symptoms persist. Any new or unusual breast change should be checked promptly.

1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 17

Two years after her diagnosis, Lesley Goodburn says her dog Gertie helped uncover lobular breast cancer when a collision with her chest led her to notice an unusual ridge.
Goodburn, now cancer-free after chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, is using her case to warn that lobular breast cancer often does not appear as a lump.
About 15% of breast cancer diagnoses are lobular, and roughly 8,400 people a year are diagnosed in the UK, according to Lobular Breast Cancer UK.
The charity says the disease can grow in straight lines or single cells, making it harder to spot on imaging such as mammograms and easier to miss after an all-clear.
Goodburn, who has raised tens of thousands for cancer charities since her husband's death in 2014, has joined Lobular Breast Cancer UK to urge people to seek medical advice if something feels wrong.

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BBC.com3d ago

Kidsgrove's Lesley Goodburn's Dog Gertie Helps Detect Her Lobular Breast Cancer

Why are thousands of breast cancers missed by mammograms, and what are the non-lump symptoms women should know?

Two years after new UK rules, are we better at finding the 'hidden' breast cancer that mammograms often miss?

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1 total

BBC.com3d ago

Kidsgrove's Lesley Goodburn's Dog Gertie Helps Detect Her Lobular Breast Cancer

Dog's Bash Helped Detect Lesley Goodburn's Breast Cancer, Which Makes Up 15% of Cases

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