iBreastCheck App launches

A new survey by Breakthrough Breast Cancer in Scotland reveals almost half (47%) of women are not checking their breasts regularly for signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

In response to the ongoing need to encourage breast awareness, pioneering charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer has launched iBreastCheck the UK’s first app designed to encourage women to be breast aware. It also aims to improve understanding of the risk factors associated with the disease, and enables women to set a regular reminder to check their breasts.

Scottish DJ & Presenter Edith Bowman, said:

"My mum survived breast cancer, we were lucky to catch it so early, so the work that Breakthrough Breast Cancer does is incredibly close to my heart. 

“Many women aren’t checking their breasts because they either don’t think they are at risk, don’t know how to check themselves or just simply forget to do it. It’s fantastic that Breakthrough Breast Cancer has developed  iBreastCheck specifically with all these considerations in mind. I'll have it to remind me to check and hopefully thousands of women will do the same."

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Scotland with around 4,000 women diagnosed each year. Around 1,000 women die of breast cancer every year in Scotland.

The survey further revealed that nearly half (42%) of women in Scotland do not check their breasts simply because they forget to do so. Most cases of breast cancer are found by women noticing unusual changes, taking the initiative and visiting their doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of beating it – which is why it is vital that women make regular checks.

The survey also showed many women were unaware of the key factors that could increase their risk of breast cancer:

• More than half of women (53%) did not know that drinking alcohol could increase their risk of breast cancer
• Half of women (50%) did not realise putting on weight or being obese can increase the risk of breast cancer
• Almost half (41%) of women did not know that getting older increases the risk of breast cancer despite increasing age being the biggest risk factor
• 39% of women did not realise that taking regular exercise could help reduce their risk of breast cancer.

Audrey Birt, Director for Scotland at Breakthrough Breast Cancer said:

“These results clearly show that more work is needed to make sure that women are breast aware.  It is worrying that so many women don’t know that drinking alcohol and putting on weight can increase the risk of breast cancer. It is estimated that four out of 10 breast cancers[2] could be avoided if people adopted healthier lifestyles. That’s why we encourage all women to maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and cut back on alcohol to reduce their risk of developing the disease.”

 iBreastCheck features:

• Touch Look Check – video and images of Breakthrough’s award winning breast awareness information explaining what women need to look out for when checking themselves for anything unusual
• The Risk Report – an interactive quiz which enables women to enter details about themselves to assess their own risk of breast cancer, based on family history, lifestyle and environmental factors. 
• iBreastCheck alert – an optional reminder system to enable women to set a personalised alert at a time and date convenient for them.

Bernie Nolan, who is currently being treated for the disease, commented,

“This is an incredible development from Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I only wish it had been thought of sooner. The earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of beating it, which is why I would urge every woman to get into the habit of being breast aware and following Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s simple Touch Look Check message - it could make all the difference.”