JUST 20 years ago, a woman whose doctor had just told her she had breast cancer had about a 50-50 chance of living for five years.

Thanks to strides in screening and treatment, a diagnosis no longer means a death sentence – with survival rates soaring to about 80 per cent.

And almost as importantly, the loss of a breast is no longer a cast-iron certainty, with advances in surgery making it possible to save as much of it as possible.

So, as well as living longer, more women are being spared the emotional ordeal of going through a mastectomy.

The man heading this new and emerging field in the city, which draws on the expertise of plastic surgeons and the cancer knowledge of general surgeons, is consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon Tholkifl Abdullah.

He said: "Breast cancer is very common. One in nine will get it in their lifetime, and it is the most common cancer in women.

"Every day, 100 people across the country are diagnosed.

"Nowadays, the majority survive.

"These women go through a very difficult time. Emotionally, the loss of a breast is very devastating. Even those lucky enough not to lose a breast have a degree of disfigurement post surgery.

"Some just say, 'take it off'. We are not expecting them to make a decision in a day. The news can be very shocking.

"The majority are frightened of dying. A significant proportion worry how they are going to look. Breasts are symbols of femininity. They fear they may be rejected sexually by their partners."

But he said immediate reconstruction went a long way to allay those fears.

He said: "There is a lot more breast conserving surgery.

"Out of 100 women, about 60 to 70 won't lose their breast. Forty per cent have a mastectomy. The rest have breast-conserving surgery.

"I want to make it look good for them."

Those cosmetic skills have also served a dual purpose. At the same time as cancer surgery, surgeons can now reduce and remodel breasts – giving women renewed confidence as well as health.

He remembers all too well how the time from when woman presented with a lump on her breast, to having a battery of tests used to last a traumatic six months.

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Elsewhere online:
Breast Cancer Care website - www.breastcancercare.org.uk.