Linda Nolan: Alarming increase in secondary breast cancer as expert explains why it's often missed
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Most women will know the common signs of breast cancer - but only a few know the symptoms of secondary breast cancer. Alarming statistics show there has been a rise in secondary breast cancer and according to a study of NHS admissions in 2021, it's estimated there are around 57,000 women in the UK living with the disease, and this figure has been rising since 2018.
Linda Nolan sadly died almost two decades after first being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. It returned as a secondary in her hip in 2017 and later spread to her liver and brain. The most common places for secondary breast cancer are in the bone, followed by the lungs, liver, skin and brain. In Linda's case, it wasn't until she broke her hip in 2017 that doctors found a cyst in her pelvis, which lead to her second diagnosis.
Those who have had cancer are at their highest risk of recurrence in the first one to two years after treatment. Risk factors include the type of breast cancer, the stage it was diagnosed at, the size of the tumour, how many lymph nodes (if any) were involved, as well as lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and obesity.
There is also a link between high levels of oestrogen in the blood and breast cancer recurrence. "A diet high in fat and calories can increase circulating oestrogen," Nicola Roche, a consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Marsden told Daily Mail. It's estimated between 10 to 40% of people diagnosed with primary breast cancer will go on to develop secondary breast cancer, but while it's incurable, treatments for it have dramatically advanced.
