Medical Matters: Stay informed during Breast Cancer Awareness month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month but our efforts to detect and remove cancer from patients across Torbay and South devon continues all year round.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about more than pink ribbons, it’s about encouraging everyone to take charge of their health and support one another.

As a Trust we tackle many forms of cancer including lung, colorectal, head and neck and urology; my speciality is working within breast care and leading on the screening programme that is now in its 21st year.

During this time, the breast cancer team have screened over 200,000 women and detected over 2,000 cancers within our mobile and static units.

Out Screening Service brings breast screening closer to home through its mobile unit, which visits Paignton (including Brixham), Torquay, Newton Abbot, Bovey Tracey, Buckfastleigh, Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Dawlish and Totnes. Each site is accessible by local bus routes, with parking available too.

A breast screening, or mammogram, is a quick 15-minute test carried out by trained female staff. It can spot signs of cancer early — often before symptoms appear when treatment is most effective. While it may feel a little uncomfortable, it shouldn’t be painful, and it could make all the difference.

For those using a wheelchair or needing extra support, the Breast Care Unit at Torbay Hospital offers accessible clinics with lift access, free parking and longer appointments. Saturday clinics are also held monthly for added convenience.

Eligible clients who are registered with a GP and aged between 50 and 70 and 11 months will be automatically invited for screening every three years. You are normally invited for a first mammogram between your 50th and 53rd birthdays.

Over 71s can still self-refer by calling 01803 655350.

Some trans or non-binary people can access breast screening. Talk to your GP or gender identity clinic for more information.

The breast cancer screening programme is so important because, as we know with many other illnesses and diseases, early detection is key. Screening can detect cancer before there are any signs or symptoms. 

Cancers found when they are too small to see or feel are often at an early stage, which often means they are much more treatable.

Of course, it is possible to develop breast cancer in between screenings, so if you do notice or have concerns about unusual changes to your breasts, please speak with your GP as soon as possible. 

Before attending appointments, it is important not to use deodorant, body spray or moisturisers on the skin on or around the breast as this can affect the quality of images. Attendees will need to undress to their waist so please avoid wearing a dress. 

During the scan our mammographers will take four pictures as standard, and for people with breast implants we take six. 

As part of our programme, people can be invited to an appointment at the Breast Care Unit at Torbay Hospital as well as our mobile screening unit. 

The unit travels around nine different locations across Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s patch, staying in one place for an extended period and hosting nearby eligible people during that time.

Getting out into our communities is incredibly important for us as a service, helping to ensure that we make screening appointments as accessible as possible.

We were delighted to start using a brand-new mobile unit at the end of 2023 thanks to funding from NHS England. The £240,000 unit has allowed us to provide scans in an updated and more comfortable environment.

Our unit is currently situated in the car park outside the Lodge on the Torbay Hospital Annexe site. Next location will be Newton Abbot.

If you are not registered with a GP Practice and would like advice about receiving breast screening, please contact us on 01803 655350.

To find out more about the breast screening programme and more information on what to expect, please visit our website where you can read more about the programme and our wider work in breast care: https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/breast-care-unit/breast-screening/ 

Image: Unit staff including Rob Willox (centre bottom) and some of the screening admin, radiographers and nurses who are involved in the service