Members of West Ham United’s women’s team were invited to Spire London East Hospital to learn about detecting breast cancer.
Midfielders Julia Simic and Rosie Kmita, and defenders Erin Simon and Brooke Hendrix, visited the Hammers’ Official Private Hospital in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The most common type of cancer in the United Kingdom, figures from Cancer Research UK show that one in eight women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime; a number that amounts to around 60,000 cases every year.
The players were shown how to detect the early signs of breast cancer through home checks, and different changes to keep an eye out for that could potentially signal a malignant tumour, by Antony Pittathankal, a Consultant Breast and General Surgeon.
“It’s really important that people are comfortable talking about breast cancer,” Kmita told whufc.com. “Now we hold this knowledge it’s important for us to spread the message.
It's really important that people are comfortable talking about breast cancer, and now we hold this information it's important for us to spread the message.
Rosie Kmita
“I didn’t know half of the things you should look out for. I used to think it was just if you felt a lump, and that was the sign. I didn’t know there were so many other things.”
The Irons were also shown how MRI and Spire London East Hospital’s new digital mammography machine can help with breast cancer diagnosis, with improved imaging allowing for clearly results, leading to a 43% increase in detection.
Hendrix said: “One of the many things I’ve learned today is that there are many different types of breast cancer, which I did not know. It can also be genetic and you can be tested for it early, which is good and encouraging to know.”
If you have any concerns at all after self-checking your breasts, please contact your GP or book an appointment with Spire London East Hospital.
For more information on breast cancer and how to carry out self-check, please visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk.