While we hear much about advances in treatments for breast cancer, less is said about the health issues these can trigger. Here Dr Philippa Kaye - a GP with a special interest in women's health and author of Breasts: An Owner's Guide - explains how to manage potential side effects to help you live well for longer: The most common cancer in the UK, one in seven women will be affected by breast cancer at some point during their lives. And while this means that many will be affected, a combination of earlier diagnosis and better treatment pathways mean that there are also many breast cancer survivors, currently an estimated 600,000 in the UK alone , a number that will continue to rise.
But moving from active treatment - be that after surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy - to follow up can be difficult to navigate. As a bowel cancer survivor, I know that ending treatment can feel a little bit like falling off a cliff. You go from seeing your medical team extremely regularly, perhaps even once or twice a week, to every three months, six months or even further apart.
As little as anyone enjoys treatment, and as positive as it is to need to be seen less often, there is a feeling of safety from being assessed regularly by your team. The increasing time between appointments can be extremely anxiety inducing. This, combined with “scanxiety”, the worsening of anxiety in the lead up towards scans, can only increase worry.
Breast cancer survivorship is to be celebrated and everyone w.