This lesser known breast cancer warning sign helped save British woman’s life

A lump in the breast is a tell-tale sign that women should visit their doctors to check for breast cancer, but what about other lesser known signs? A British woman who detected her breast cancer in an obscure way is sharing her story on Facebook in a post that’s gone viral.

Lisa Royle, a 42-year-old Manchester woman, says that a dimple on the bottom of her breast was the red flag that tipped her off that something was wrong.

“Okay so I never thought I’d post a boob picture on Facebook but I thought I would before it gets chopped off next week,” Royle wrote in a Facebook post that’s been shared nearly 70,000 times and liked by another 44,000 people.

READ MORE: Breast cancer foundation urging women to get screened for disease

“So here it is…this is all I found on my boob. Very subtle dimples underneath that could easily be missed when we’re all rushing around getting ready…Please take time to look at your boobs. It could save your life,” she wrote.

Royle’s already had a mastectomy and is recovering, according to her husband’s comments on the post’s thread Monday night. Her family’s set up a “wig fund” to help the mom pay for costs stemming from battling her disease.

READ MORE: New Canadian guidelines for doctors, young women with breast cancer

A change in size or shape, redness or a rash on the skin around the nipple and even discharge are some of the symptoms women need to pay attention to, according to Breast Cancer Care, a U.K. organization.

A change in skin texture, such as dimpling or puckering, is also warning signs.

READ MORE: Breast cancer and genetics – Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, according to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada. It estimates that in 2014, 24,400 Canadian women were diagnosed with the disease and 5,000 people died from it.

carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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