'Women over 70 still need to attend breast screening'

Judith Brown was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2024

A 71-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer said had she left her screening any later her "story would've been very different".

A mammogram discovered Judith Brown from Backwell, near Bristol, had a tumour in April 2024. She had not been screened for "some years" due to routine checks stopping at 70.

Ms Brown said staff at Southmead Hospital told her to "spread the word" to women over 70 that they are still able to request a screening.

She said: "My message is don't wait. Ask. Just because you can't feel something and you haven't had a mammogram or a test for any other cancer. Please, please go and ask."

Ms Brown had a lumpectomy, surgery that removes the tumour and surrounding tissue, she said: "The care and attention that I had has been phenomenal, Southmead are just amazing."

She also encourages others to take advantage of help that is on offer.

"There's so much support out there, I had the benefit of Macmillan counselling," she told BBC Radio Bristol:

"Thankfully I am fully fit again."

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. Nearly 57,000 people diagnosed with it every year, most are women, however about 390 of these cases are in men.

One in seven women in the UK develop breast cancer during their lifetime and it is most common in women over the age of 50.

Phoebe McCulloh, a clinical nurse specialist in breast screening at Southmead Hospital, told BBC Radio Bristol: "It's not just about finding lumps. You want to look out for any changes to the skin.

"That could be brushes, that could be an orange peel-like texture to the skin, very tiny dimples. It could be the skin sort of puckering or pulling in."

"It could also be any changes to the nipple or areola and that could look like nipple inversion, fluid from the nipple or redness."

As part of the "Wake Up Call" live broadcast series on BBC Radio Bristol's Breakfast Show presenter, Joe Sims, has been hearing from people who have had breast cancer in the hope it will encourage listeners to get checked for serious health conditions.