Fiducia TogetherBreast cancer
The commonest cancer in the UK. Survival has roughly doubled in fifty years, and men get it too.
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.
What it is
Around 56,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, including around 400 men.
Survival has improved dramatically: around three quarters of people diagnosed now survive ten years or more, compared with around four in ten in the early 1970s. Screening, earlier presentation and better treatment all contributed.
NHS breast screening invites women aged 50 to 71 every three years. Uptake dropped after the pandemic and has not fully recovered.
Men are diagnosed later and do worse, largely because neither they nor their doctors think of it.
Signs you might notice
A lump or thickening in the breast or armpit.
A change in size or shape.
Skin changes: dimpling, puckering, redness, or a rash on the nipple.
A nipple that has become inverted, or discharge, particularly if bloodstained.
Pain that is new and persistent in one area, though most breast pain is not cancer.
Any of these in a man deserves exactly the same investigation.
How it can affect day-to-day life
The barriers are practical as well as emotional. Screening is harder for wheelchair users, for people with a learning disability, and for those who need extra time, and uptake in those groups is substantially lower.
Treatment effects are long: fatigue, lymphoedema, menopausal symptoms from hormone treatment, and cognitive effects sometimes called chemo brain.
Hormone therapy is taken for five to ten years, and adherence falls over time because side effects are real and the benefit is invisible.
Supporting someone well
Attend screening, and support people who need adjustments to attend. Ask the unit what they can arrange; most can do a great deal.
Check chests regularly and know what is normal for you. There is no correct technique, only familiarity.
Support hormone therapy adherence over years, and take side effects seriously rather than dismissing them. There are alternatives.
Manage lymphoedema risk after surgery: skin care, and early referral for any swelling.
Do not dismiss symptoms in men.
Where to get help
See a GP for any breast change and ask about the two-week wait pathway.
Breast Cancer Now run a helpline on 0808 800 6000.
Ask the breast screening unit directly about accessibility adjustments.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.