Morning Magazine, RTRfm

Should we be concerned? Most definitely. Why? Breast Imaging radiologist Dr Peter Goodwin is the man to ask.

Hi Peter, how are you? Peter?

[Start talent - Dr Peter Goodwin]
Yes, Bridget.

How are you?

Thank you.

Well, you've not only discovered that the majority of women like their breasts but that a large part of that majority don't actually do the, the all-important self breast check. Why should we be concerned about this?

Uh, I think the, the big feature that we've got to realise is that while the breast screening program targets that age group of fifty to sixty nines that leaves a large number of women out of that target group that still develop breast cancer. And in particular, the group under that fifty year age group, there's really no other way that a breast cancer's going to be detected early other than by the woman actually finding it herself with breast self-examination and, of course, the aim with all cancers is to try and get it as early as possible, uh, to improve the survival and improve the chances of recovering from the disease. The disturbing factor with these research that has come out of America, and we did a little repeat research here of our own, is that the vast majority of women are not doing breast self-examination and I think this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

They're not doing breast self examinations but how worried are they generally about getting breast cancer, from this survey, you know, did you determine how worried the, the majority of women were about…?

[I think] women are concerned about breast cancer and a small number are very anxious about it and they, obviously, are the women who are probably going to do something about it, those ones. But, but about forty percent of women really aren't that concerned about breast cancer and don't see that as being a big issue for them and that's a bit of a concern too because while there is a family trend with breast cancer and we certainly know about the bad family stories of various family groups that have had breast cancer still the majority of breast cancer will, will arise in women with no significant previous history and that's an important factor that I think a lot of women don't really understand.

Why do you think so few women have got into the habit of doing these checks?

Oh, I think there can be many reasons because it's only a once a month type check, uh, it sort of probably gets down the lower list of things to do, uh, life is pretty busy at this stage and other things tend to take priority. But also I think there may be a, a, a bit of a sort of feeling that, well, you know, the screening service does the fifty to seventy, sixty nine year old group, well, that's the only people that really are going to get breast cancer. I'm only forty or I'm only thirty five, you know, I'm not a risk for breast cancer and of course that's not true. While the majority of breast cancer is a disease that increases its incidence with age it's still such a common disease that there are many, many women under forty that develop breast cancer.

Ideally, what time of the month is the best time for women to actually do these checks?

Quite certainly it's after the period in those first few days after the period, or the first week. The worst time is just before your period because at that stage there's so many hormones acting on, on the breast that they become, as most women would know, engorged and tender and difficult to feel and not, it's not the time you would want to do that sort of examination. Very lumpy and it's very hard to work out what's going on, but that time, that first week after the period is, when all those hormonal effects start to settle down, and now you can really feel the breast and see if there is something there that's significant. Now, lumps and bumps come and go in the breast, that's pretty common and, and most of them are of no significance and may last one cycle through to the next one and then will disappear. But if there's a lump that sort of goes through two, maybe three, cycles or if there's a lump that's increasing in size and its associated with pain that sort of doesn't' feel right then really, please go and get it checked out because ninety percent of these things will not be cancer but it's an opportunity to find and get a cancer very early.

Peter, is it okay for a woman to actually get her partner to do these checks or is it really important for her to do it herself?

I think its important she does it herself, um, its something that she's got to take responsibility for, I think, and she's got to do it because she's the one who'll remember how it felt. The partner, you know, that's fine, but you know they don't really have that, probably, self interest shall we say, that the woman might have.

Okay. Now most people are aware, thanks to George Kastanza, about men, men having boobies too, man boobies. Should men be concerned about breast cancer at all?

Fortunately for men it's a, it is a pretty low incidence for men in relation to all the other cancers men can get. And one of the factors of men, as we get older we do tend to get a bit of breast tissue development, uh, it's called gynecomastia and it's a thing that happens in quite a few men as we get older, as our hormone levels change. But again that needs to be checked out, if a man can feel something unusual behind the breast or feel the lump there, um, or a pain, get your doctor to have a look. We do quite a lot of ultrasound and a few mammograms on men as well, checking that out.

Okay. Now it sounds like from this survey you've determined, you know, attitudes have changed in relation to how women see their breasts but the whole attitude surrounding breast health and looking after yourself needs a bit of work. What kind of community education do you think is required? Do you think younger women should be targeted, like maybe school aged girls should be targeted or…?

Oh, I think, I think it should be targeted at all ages because as we've said it's a disease that occurs in virtually all women, well, over twenty, I mean every woman over twenty is starting to come into the risk category and I think the targeting for public education and public health in these issues really shouldn't be targeted at any one specific group, but obviously you would tailor, tailor your message to particular groups to appeal in a certain way and I think starting at school as part of their health program in school is an excellent idea.

Now, to coincide with International Women's Day today I understand that Breast Imaging is actually holding a fundraiser?

Oh, yes. Well, we've, we're holding a small movie session tonight for some of our supporting doctors. Basically, there's a group in Perth now called the Breast Research Alliance which is through Breast Screen, uh, through the Cancer Foundation of WA, uh, is amalgamating quite a number of researchers into a pooled group to conduct research in breast cancer in many different aspects but to pool the financial resources of the Cancer Foundation of WA and we're going to be supporting that tonight with a movie show for our local doctors as a thank you for them for supporting us as a private practice, at Breast Imaging, um, and a chance to, uh, squeeze some money out of them, nothing like getting, uh, out of the medical profession, is there?

That's right, that's right. Well, thank you very much Dr Goodwin for your time this morning.

That's okay, pleasure.
[End talent]

Alright, that was Peter Goodwin from Breast Imaging talking about the good and the bad news when it comes to women and breast cancer…

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