Article in ‘Easy Living Magazine’
Article in ‘Easy Living Magazine’ Dear Breast Cancer Care,
I have just received the April copy of Easy Living Magazine. On page 141 there is an article entitled ‘Your Essential Health Symptom Checklist’
The article covers a number of ‘symptoms’ - one of which is ‘a lump under your arm’. A response from Liz Carroll, head of clinical services at Breast Cancer Care has been quoted as saying
" Unless you have a family history of cancer, it’s unlikely to be a malignant tumour" The article does go on to say if you’re concerned go to your GP.
I think BBC’s Liz Carrolls view is misleading and very irresponsible. There are hundreds of women who have a malignant tumour with NO family history of BC - me included.
Surely a more responsible approach to take would be to advise all women and men with a lump under their arm to see a GP immediately whilst pointing out that 90% are benign.
I would appreciate your comments,
Flora
Goodness gracious It is hard enough for younger women to be taken seriously, without having this sort of information published.
I agree that this view is very misleading and potentially dangerous.
Anybody finding a lump under their arm should visit their GP, the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed the better the outcome is.
Easy Living article I, too, read this article. I have no family history of breast cancer but would like to point out that a lump under my arm was one of the first symptoms of my locally advanced breast cancer.
Lump under my arm… …was breast cancer tumor, yes my aunty had been diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years previous, but i had always been told that as she was over 50 [just] when diagnosed that i was not at any greater risk of getting this disease, WRONG!!!
my tumor was a very small lump under my left arm, which i went straight to my gp about, he didn’t think it was anything to worry about and monitored it for 18mths, it was only because that i said on a visit to him that the lump was still there that he arranged for me to have a mammogram ‘to put my mind at ease’!! WRONG AGAIN!!!
i haven’t read this article, but from what everyone is saying i think it is very misleading.
i would strongly advice anyone when checking their breasts to be sure to check under their arms and go straight to their gp if they feel
anything their not sure about.
its better to be safe than sorry, and early detection is crucial
karen.
Shocking This is shocking and inaccurate advice
My first symptom was an aching armpit. I was diagnosed with locally advanced bc 7 months after being told that 3 breast lumps were cysts.
I ignored my armpit for a few weeks partly because I’d been ‘cleared’ so recently and partly because I had no idea this could be a sign of breast cancer.
Comment please BCC…and urgently too.
Jane
Where do these people get their information??? How many times does it have to be said that anyone finding any sort of breast/armpit lump must see their GP.
In my large family of many women there was no family history of bc. I was lulled into a false sence of security. I carried on taking HRT longer than I perhaps should have done because I thought it was ok to do so. (I’m er+)I had a ‘clear’ mammogram just a few months before dx and then had a 4.5cm invasive tumour.
NEVER say never! It can’t happen to me - because it does!
Now I am so scared for my lovely 33 yr old daughter because she has bc on both sides of her family.
Grrrrr!!!
Judy xx
lump under arm —I too had lump under arm ,saw GP, he wasnt bothered I rang after 2 wks to fix an appt and went private for an opinion . I had biopsy and was told I had breast Cancer!!! now 2yrs later have had a Mastectomy and am having radiotherapy.It is so important for Doctors to follow lumps up!—and,listen to women .There is such a thing as intuition!! trish
BCC response Dear Flora
I have just spoken to Liz Carroll about this and she is very keen to point out that what you say is absolutely right - anyone who finds such a lump should get it checked out immediately even though in most cases it will turn out to be benign.
Unfortunately the press do sometimes get it wrong and misquote experts such as Liz, but thanks for pointing it out and I hope this clarifies BCC’s position.
BCC Moderator
Correct it please Dear moderator,
Thanks for explanation. Please could Liz Carroll ask for a correction in the next edition of the magazine. Also this mistake surely indicates once again how vigilant BCC must be about not being misquoted in the media.
Best wishes
Jane
Response from Liz Carroll Jane
Breast Cancer Care are getting in contact with the magazine to ensure they are aware of the misleading information they have quoted. Unfortunately it is very difficult for any organisation to ensure that absolutely every conversation or comment is accurately reflected in the published article. As an organisation we speak to hundreds of journalists a year. No newspaper or magazine allows the content of an article to be checked before publication. Fortunately the majority of the time the journalist or editor gets it right. Occasionally though we are misquoted. In this situation we do our best to ensure it is put right. I remember the conversation with this journalist very clearly. In fact we spoke for over an hour on many different aspect of signs and symptoms of breast cancer, as well as the importance of breast awareness and getting anything unusual checked.
I do however remember discussing that in a woman in her twenties (the audience I was told this article was written for)who finds a lump under her arm shouldn’t panic. Unless the person has a very strong family history of breast cancer being diagnosed at a young age, there is a possibility that it could be something other than breast cancer. In this age group it isn’t unusual to have lymph nodes enlarged under the arm if they have recently been unwell, or run down. However, if the lump didn’t go away in a few days or they noticed any other change in their breast they should get it checked by a GP. Breast cancer can occur at this age and anything unusual should always be checked. It is never a waste of time having unusual lumps or changes checked.
We work very hard at Breast Cancer Care to ensure accurate information is published, and it is very distressing when situations like this occur. I feel as strongly as you do about the importance of accurate information.
Kind regards
Liz Carroll
Head of Clinical Services
Thanks Liz Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed reply. I hope you will push to get a statement correcting this in the next edition (not familiar with Easy Living mag…but the Guardian always corrects its many errors very quickly!)
Best wishes
Jane
— To second what Liz says — I have had numerous articles published in various media with regards to my fundraising for various breast cancer charities.
I go in with such a speal about all the things we on this site need to be made public; I even type out all the relevant information and give this to the person interviewing.
Even then, they misquote. BUT even more annoying they often don’t print anything at all about breast cancer other than I was diagnosed and am now raising money for blah blah blah… All the really important bits about research needed in certain areas, about statistics, etc ., are not even mentioned… they need to ‘show a happy story’…
I think it is quite feasible that they have misquoted Liz.
Grrrrrr
Joy xxx
LUMP IN ARMPIT Hi Flora
I am just about to go out and buy a copy of Easy Living Magazine. I am fighting a medical negligence case at the moment. However, my symptoms were ignored by my GP on 3 occasions. My symptoms were swelling and two lumps in armpit. I was refused a mammogram on each occasion because they said it was nothing to worry about. First time I was told the swelling was an extension of my breast tissue. The second time, when lumps had developed, I was told it was the remains of a viral infection. Same on third occasion. My situation is apaulling and I have to do something. I have noticed the guidelines don’t say much about armpits and I feel I have to work at changing the guidelines. Have just written to MPs etc. The medical practice are denying they did anything wrong which doesn’t help my mental state. However, I must fight as I can see there is a real problem here.
Must go and get a copy.
Regards.
Jeannie
Obvious dangers The dangers of giving out wrong information are well known and sadly beautifully illustrated in the posts above. It would be helpful if BCC could comment ,as a matter of urgency,on the allegations made in the above posts, that it (through the comments of its Head of Clinical Services) is putting inaccurate information about the symptoms and dangers of breast cancer into the very public domain of a popular women’s magazine. This magazine reaches a wide audience. Unfortunately so will any inaccurate information it contains. The risk of real harm occuring to some people as a consequence of distributing wrong information is therefore real.
Best wishes
Roisin
Good practice I’m shocked to hear that BCC was misquoted by the journalist who wrote the article refered to in the above posts. I thought it was good and standard journalistic practice for all interviewees to be given details of, and the chance to endorse or alter, what they are purported to have said before publication goes ahead. It is really shocking if BCC were not offered this opportunity. It would be a good idea if BCC asked for details of anything which is about to be released by the press under their logo/aegis in order to protect the interests of the organisation and those who rely on it for potentially life-saving information.
Best wishes
Roisin
My tenpenneth My ‘lump under the arm’ was my only real symptom of what became a liver mets diagnosis. I think it important that the magaziine in question publish a correction.
Jennywren.
Thank you Dear BCC,
Thank you for responding to my post so promptly and contacting the magazine to make them aware of the error.
Sadly, another example of inaccurate information about bc being banded about through poor journalism.
Flora
Ignorant people write these pieces Majority of journalists have no real knowledge of what symptoms are and a lot is lost in translation.
As Joy says if you do anything with journalists they rarely print exactly what you have actually said.
I recently read in a health magazine circulating in my own gps waiting room for our area stating that many cancers, 1000’s in fact, are avoidable. Although there are contributing factors none of us cause our cancers and this I thought was the most offensive statement I have read.
Hpefully anyone who has health concerns would not take their directions from a glossy magazine but use their own savvy to decide what needs attention and see their gp.
Steph x
LUMPS IN ARMPIT I have just bought a copy of Easy Living. I am appalled. This kind of information is misleading and potentially very dangerous.
I was diagnosed last year with advanced breast cancer (15 lymph nodes affected) However, I had been to my GP in 2003 and 2004 with swelling and lumps under my armpit. She said it was the remains of a viral infection. I am taking the matter further. It seems to me that GPs have to be brought up to date with this. Also, guidelines have to be changed to accommodate lumps under armpits. Perhaps I should be writing an article for next months Easy Living to let them know how serious a lump under the armpit can be…