Breakthrough Campaigns

Breakthrough Breast Cancer campaigns to ensure that government policy helps people affected by breast cancer to get the best possible services and treatments wherever they live. In partnership with members of Breakthrough's Campaigns & Advocacy Network (Breakthrough CAN) and health professionals, we make certain that politicians and the NHS hear directly from people affected by breast cancer about the services that are provided.  

Screening Saves Lives

Breakthrough Breast Cancer's Screening Saves Lives campaign was launched in 2006, aiming to

• promote awareness of breast screening and increase attendance.
• ensure that intervals between screening appointments    are not longer than three years. 
• ensure that there is enough capacity within the UK's screening programme to cope with extra demand on the service in the future due to the ageing population.
• get the Government to review the upper age limit for screening.

The campaign won the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in October 2007, when it was announced that the NHS Breast Screening Programme will be extended to women aged 47-73. This extension of the breast screening programme will start rolling out from April 2008 and should be fully implemented by the end of 2012.

Find out more about Screening Saves Lives

Show Your Breasts Some TLC: Touch, Look, Check

Most breast cancers are detected by women who report unusual changes to their doctor. That's why Breakthrough encourages all women, whatever their age, to be breast aware by showing their breasts some TLC. This means: Touch your breasts and feel for anything unusual. Look for changes including in their shape and texture. Check anything unusual with your doctor.

The earlier breast cancer is detected, diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of a successful outcome.

There is no need to follow a fancy routine for examining your breasts, just be familiar with how they look and feel so that you noticed changes. You can do this by looking and feeling in any way that makes you feel comfortable - in the bath or shower, when dressing, standing or lying down. If you find anything unusual or are worried, you should talk to your GP.

Changes to look out for include:

• Size or shape - e.g. one breast might become larger or lower than the other.
• Skin texture - such as puckering or dimpling of the skin.
• Appearance or direction of nipple - e.g. one nipple might become inverted.
• Discharge - one or both nipples might discharge a blood-stained liquid.
• Rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area.
• Lump in the breast or armpit.
• Lumpy area or unusual thickening of breast tissue that doesn't go away after your period.
• Pain in part of the breast or armpit that is unrelated to periods.

Remember that nine out of ten breast lumps are not cancerous.

Find out more about our TLC campaign

Testing Times

In June 2003, the Government published the Genetics White Paper that stated that by 2006 genetic test results should be given within two or eight weeks, depending on the type of test taken. However, Breakthrough heard from some women with a strong family history of breast cancer that they were waiting up to 2 years and more to  get back the results of their genetic tests.

In June 2006, Breakthrough launched its Testing Times campaign, calling on the Government to end the unacceptable delays some women endure to find out if they carry faults in breast cancer genes (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2). A woman who carries a fault in one of her BRCA genes has a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer of up to 85% and up to 40% for ovarian cancer. Women told us that long waiting times for the results of their genetic tests caused stress and anxiety for them and their families.

Following a successful campaign launch to highlight the issue, Breakthrough organised a meeting of leading UK genetics experts where the then Health Minister Andy Burnham announced that: "the vast majority of genetics test for new patients will meet the eight week standard test turn around time by the end of the year and that all laboratories expect to achieve this by March 2007."

Breakthrough continues to monitor progress to ensure that anyone who takes a genetic test receives their results within the time set out in the Genetics White Paper.

Find out more about Testing Times