Inverted nipple - sign of breast cancer?
Women are being asked to see their GP straightaway if they notice any changes in breast size and shape, which could be a sign of breast cancer.
The warning comes after former social worker Catherine Vander-Cammen, 60 was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering that her nipple suddenly pulled inward into her breast instead of outward.
She said: ‘An inverted nipple is never a symptom that is widely spoken about or linked to cancer, and as I had no lumps or pain I never thought I’d be diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m so glad that I went to the GP to get it checked.’
It only took 30 days to discover the change and she went on to have a mastectomy to remove her right breast.
Julie Douglas, a clinical nurse specialist at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘We recommend ladies are breast aware not only looking for traditional lumps but also a change in shape or size, a lump or thickening that feels different, changes in skin texture or if the nipple becomes inverted (pulled in) or changes its position or shape.’