‘It’s always there’: Poole woman backs push for awareness of secondary breast cancer
New campaign highlights stark lack of awareness around secondary breast cancer
More than a third of adults in the south west have never heard of secondary breast cancer, despite it being the leading cause of death for women in the UK aged 40 to 59, according to new research.
An estimated 61,000 people in the UK live with the condition but the charity Make 2nds Count says there’s a troubling lack of public awareness around the disease.
Secondary breast cancer is incurable and occurs when cancer spreads beyond the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, liver or lungs, killing between 1,000 and 2,000 people every month.
Amanda Jones from Poole was first diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2012 before being given the all-clear after five years of treatment.
Nearly eight years later, she was diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer as it had spread to her spine.
She said: “I began experiencing severe back pain which was repeatedly dismissed as muscular but after recognising the symptoms in a leaflet about metastatic breast cancer, I pushed for a scan.
“I was eventually diagnosed with spinal cord compression caused by a tumour on my spine, it was a total shock.”
The new Truth Be Told campaign seeks to challenge that silence, offering an unfiltered look at the daily realities faced by people living with the disease.
“It has impacted my life in so many ways,” Amanda said. “I get tired a lot, so I need more help at home. I go to hospital every month for blood tests and checkups, and every three months I have scans.”
A recent survey found that nearly a third of respondents wrongly believed it could be cured, and fewer than one in ten correctly identified that
Awareness was particularly low among men, with two in five unaware that they could also be diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.
Amanda hopes the report will push the issue higher up the health agenda and ensure schools, workplaces and communities become better informed about a condition that remains overlooked despite its devastating impact.
She told us: “I joined this campaign as it is important to raise awareness because, even though I might look fine on the outside – going out, living an active life – I’m in pain every day.
“I will never forget I have cancer. It’s like a little bird on my shoulder – always there.”