Women over 70 need to know that a lump may not be the only symptom of breast cancer, campaigners warned yesterday.
About a third of women diagnosed with the disease are over the age of 70.
Surveys suggest that about 50% of women of this age group are unaware of symptoms other than lumps.
Yet in about 30% of cases the disease emerges as something other than a lump.
These include changes to nipples or to the skin or the shape of the breast.
The Public Health England campaign was backed by chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies.
She said: "You are never too old to get breast cancer. It is not always a lump and women should look out for any changes in the shape of the breast, a change to a nipple or to the skin.
"Spotting the signs of cancer early is very important so if women are concerned about any breast cancer symptoms they should contact their GP straight away."
Richard Sutton, a breast cancer surgeon in Bath, Somerset, UK, said: "I often hear my patients say how they delayed going to their GP. They may not think their symptom is serious, they may be embarrassed or didn’t want to waste the GPs time. Most people are aware that a lump in the breast could be a symptom of cancer, but they don’t know that changes to the skin of the breast or the nipple could also be signs of cancer.
"As a specialist surgeon it concerns me that the awareness of the importance of these symptoms is even lower amongst older women.
"The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age, so don’t dismiss any persistent or unusual changes to your breasts as a sign of ageing, speak to your GP – finding breast cancer early makes it more treatable and could save your life."
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