Let’s be breast aware

Recently our ABC Move More Coordinator Nuala McVeigh attended the 2025 Macmillan Professional Conference in Ballymena, bringing together Macmillan professionals to share knowledge, collaborate across services and sectors, and promote best practices in cancer care and support.

Nuala participated in the ‘Macmillan Marketplace’, showcasing the ABC Move More programme, which supports people living with cancer to become more active in a safe and supportive environment. Reflecting on the event Nuala said it was ‘a unique opportunity to discover how Macmillan can further support my role and I left feeling part of a supportive and valued community.’

This month, October, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Nuala is encouraging people to be aware of this annual campaign to raise awareness around screening, treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Whilst breast cancer is more common in women over 50, it can also affect younger women and men too.

Here, Nuala shares some advice on steps you can take to look after yourself:  

• Be breast aware – check your breasts and know what is normal for you so that if any unusual change occurs, you will recognise it.
• Reduce your risk of breast cancer by:
  • being active: get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, five or more days a week.
  • limit alcohol: alcohol is responsible for approximately one in eight breast cancers in Ireland. The more you cut down on alcohol, the more you can reduce your risk of breast cancer.
  • don’t smoke: smoking causes at least 15 different types of cancer and it has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women.
  • breastfeeding you baby helps to protect mothers from breast cancer. The longer a woman breastfeeds her baby, the more she reduces her breast cancer risk.
  • keep up to date with screening. Breast screening is used to help find breast cancer when it is too small to see or feel. Early detection means there is a better chance of recovery.

What to look for/feel when checking your breasts or chest:

Symptoms to look and feel for when checking your breasts or chest include:

• A lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit.
• A change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (it may look like orange peel) or redness, which may be harder to see on black or brown skin.
• A change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts, or either side of your chest – it’s common for breasts to be different sizes, but check for any changes that are not normal for you.
• Nipple discharge (if you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it.
• A change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (it may look like eczema).
• Sores or ulcers on your chest.

Remember that your breasts may naturally look and feel different:

• At different points in your menstrual cycle, if you have periods.
• While you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
• After menopause.

It’s important to get to know how your breasts feel throughout your cycle and at different stages of your life, so you can spot any changes that are not normal for you.

Please see a GP if:

• You have a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit.
• You have any changes in your breasts, chest or nipples that are not normal for you.
• You have pain in your breast or armpit that does not go away.

For more information on breast cancer, please visit https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/breast-cancer