Exhibit to raise secondary breast cancer awareness

An exhibition of secondary breast cancer patients is raising awareness at a Guildford centre

A photography exhibition of secondary breast cancer patients is aiming to raise awareness of the signs of metastasis.

Photographer Abigail Fahey, from Worthing in West Sussex, has captured images of women who have faced the secondary disease at private care provider GenesisCare's facility in Guildford.

Secondary breast cancer is when breast cancer cells spread beyond the breast, through the lymphatic or blood systems, to other parts of the body including the brain, bones, skin, liver or lungs.

The centre's own research found more than a third (36%) of breast cancer patients do not know what secondary breast cancer is.

Ms Fahey said she and the woman she photographed "feel an overwhelming sense of urgency and determination to get the message out there about secondary breast cancer".

Nathalie Gibbs, from Kent, is one of Ms Fahey's subjects in the exhibition.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer which spread to her bones and ovaries in 2020, and later with secondary cancer in her brain in 2023.

After 10 rounds of chemotherapy she is still having treatment to keep the disease at bay.

She received a secondary diagnosis in 2023 after experiencing headaches, neck pain and what she felt was a chest infection.

She said: "Although signs of cancer spreading had been explained to me, I didn’t join the dots. I didn’t want to know.

"I didn’t read all these signs as symptoms that the cancer had spread, although now I look back and can piece it all together.”

The images were taken by Worthing photographer Abigail Fahey

Between 10% and 40% of UK patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer go on to develop secondary breast cancer, according to GenesisCare.

Guildford centre leader Jimmy Kwok said: "Early detection can provide access to a broader range of treatment options, potentially improving both longevity and quality of life.

"This exhibition highlights the importance of hope, and we are pleased that our centre can project this sense of optimism to our patients, their families, and visitors."