Quick answers
- What should I look out for?
- Know what's normal for your own breasts or chest, and look and feel about once a month so a change stands out.
- Does a lump or breast pain mean cancer?
- Most breast lumps aren't cancer, and pain without a lump is only rarely a sign of it. Pain that doesn't go away should still be checked.
- Do I need a mammogram if I am under 50?
- Screening letters usually start between 50 and 53, and continue up to the 71st birthday. Until then, a change is found because you notice it. A normal mammogram doesn't cover a change that starts afterwards.
- Which breast changes should I show a GP?
- A new lump or swelling, dimpling, a colour change, a change in size or shape, nipple discharge when you are not pregnant or breastfeeding, a nipple turning in or a rash, sores on the chest, or pain that doesn't settle. See your GP, or book an assessment directly.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026 is coming to an end. This month, in clinic and in the awareness sessions I’ve taken, people have asked me the same three things: what should I look out for, do I need a mammogram, and does a lump or breast pain mean cancer?
Whoever has asked, I’ve ended up giving the same answer. Know what’s normal for you.
What normal means
Your breasts aren’t the same as anyone else’s, and they don’t stay the same from one month to the next. One side is often a little bigger or a slightly different shape (they’re sisters, not twins). Their texture changes around a period, in pregnancy, while breastfeeding and around the menopause.
The NHS suggests you look and feel about once a month. That’s how you learn what’s usual for you, so that a change stands out. The NHS has a simple guide to checking your breasts or chest.
Changes to show a GP
If you notice something new, see your GP, or book an assessment with us directly, whether or not it hurts, and ask whether it could be cancer. These are the changes to look out for, in your breasts or your chest:
- a lump or swelling in the breast, chest or armpit
- dimpling in the skin, which may look like orange peel
- a colour change, such as redness, which can be harder to see on black and brown skin
- a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
- discharge from the nipple when you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding, which may have blood in it
- a nipple turning in, or a rash on or around it
- sores or ulcers on the chest
- pain that doesn’t settle
These changes are common, and most have another cause. Having one doesn’t mean you have cancer, but it does mean you should get it checked rather than wait to see if it goes away. At an assessment here, you’d have an examination, imaging if it’s needed, and sometimes a small tissue sample, usually all in one visit.
A check is not a mammogram
If you’re under 50, you probably haven’t had a screening letter yet. The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites women from 50 up to their 71st birthday, and the first letter can arrive any time between 50 and 53. Until yours does, noticing a change is down to you. If you’re 71 or over, you won’t be invited automatically, but you can ask your local screening service for an appointment.
If your last mammogram was normal, that result can’t tell you about a change that has started since. Don’t wait for your next letter. See your GP.
A lump or pain is usually not cancer
If you’ve found a lump, it’s worth knowing that most breast lumps aren’t cancer. Pain on its own, without a lump, is only rarely a sign of it. As the NHS puts it, breast pain that comes and goes usually isn’t a symptom of breast cancer, but pain that doesn’t go away should be checked. Either way, get it looked at. You can read what an assessment involves for a breast lump and for breast pain.
Know what’s normal for you, and if something changes, see your GP. That will still be my advice when this month is over.
Sources
- NHS, How to check your breasts or chest: nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/how-to-check-your-breasts-or-chest/
- NHS, Who breast screening is for: nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/breast-screening-mammogram/who-breast-screening-is-for/
- NHS, Symptoms of breast cancer in women: nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-women/symptoms-of-breast-cancer-in-women/
- Breast Cancer Now, Breast lumps and benign breast conditions: breastcancernow.org/about-breast-cancer/breast-lumps-and-benign-not-cancer-breast-conditions