Women still don't know the facts

We are accustomed to spotting Action Cancer’s activities in our daily environment - pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness and billboards for the Action Man campaign, but a new survey from the charity shows that, despite the charity’s high profile, 25% of women still don’t know the facts about breast cancer and how to prevent it.

The figure comes from an email survey conducted to coincide with the launch of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It reveals that there are 900 cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year, with many local women remaining ignorant of how to check for warning signs.

Action Cancer’s Director of Services, Liz Atkinson commented, “Breast cancer currently kills around 300 women a year – that’s a family losing a mum, or a sister, or a wife on an almost daily basis. We do know that early detection, through personal breast awareness and screening really does save lives .”

Many women still don’t know the facts. For example, 21% of the women surveyed believed that they should start going for a mammogram at age 30, while 50 is the current starting age for the NHS Screening.

“It isn’t surprising ” said Liz about the confusion about screening. ”We know that there are many women who don’t attend their screening appointments and we need to continue to drive the message home that this form of early detection really can save lives .”

Action Cancer offers free screening for women from age 45.

Liz continued, “the results of our Breast Cancer Awareness survey clearly show that there is still much to be done in terms of informing local women about breast awareness".

The organisation’s new plan is to focus on the fours essentials – how to be really breast aware, the importance of mammograms, the rising rate of success in treating breast cancer and the importance of passing this life saving information to other women.

The programme for Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2003 includes three key fundraising events: Beauty in Action, the Pink Ribbon Fashion Extravaganza and Paint the Town Pink. Details of all three can be found on Action Cancer’s website www.actioncancer.org/

For a leaflet on how to check for breast cancer, contact Action Cancer House or pick one up at a local health centre.

info@actioncancer.org
028 9080 3344