Millie Mackintosh has opened up about her breast cancer scare on returning from a gruelling 100km trek for charity.
The former Made In Chelsea, 36, candidly revealed last year she had found a lump on the edge of her left breast and went straight to see her GP with her concerns.
She said that after her ultrasound came back as inconclusive she had to have a biopsy to check for cancer and despite early detection and being in good health, she ‘couldn’t quieten her mind’ that the news would be bad.
Thankfully when she did get her results it showed that it was a benign lump with no cancerous cells that was most likely caused by hormonal changes.
But although she didn’t have cancer, Millie vowed to help others living with cancer so she signed up for a gruelling 100km through the Sahara Desert to raise money and awareness for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!
‘Waiting for the results for a couple of weeks was really a nerve-racking, scary time,’ the mother-of-two said, according to the Irish News.
Millie Mackintosh has opened up about her breast cancer scare and revealed she wowed to help other women with cancer if she got the all-clear (Seen earlier this month)
Millie signed up for a gruelling 100km through the Sahara Desert to raise money and awareness for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel! (Seen with Giovanna Fletcher)
‘I vowed to myself that if I got the all-clear, I’d help women who get cancer, and to raise awareness for checking themselves and not just thinking breast cancer is something that happens to women in their 40s or 50s.Â
‘You need to be really familiar with your body and breasts and check yourself from a young age, so you know what your normal feels like, and aren’t scared to get that check, because it’s ignoring it and delaying that makes it so much more dangerous.’
Millie was joined on the gruelling five-day Moroccan trek by broadcaster Ashley James, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Bimini, actress-singer Carrie Hope Fletcher and author Giovanna Fletcher, as well as a host of CoppaFeel! supporters and volunteers.Â
The former reality star, who’s married to fellow Made in Chelsea star Hugo Taylor, spoke candidly last year about her cancer scare.
She penned in a lengthy post: ‘PSA: Ladies make sure you to check your breasts!
‘Firstly, I want to say, I’m incredibly fortunate that my experience of finding a lump resulted in a clear diagnosis. For the 55,000 Women & Men diagnosed with Breast Cancer each year, their story & journeys are unbelievably heroic.
‘Last month I discovered a lump on the edge of my left breast. Although I tried to stop my mind from racing, the worry crept in very quickly. I knew this was not something to ignore so I booked in with my GP.
‘Under NHS guidelines, if your symptoms could indicate cancer, your GP will refer you on a two-week urgent referral, so a specialist can see you ASAP.’
Millie was joined on the gruelling five-day Moroccan trek by broadcaster Ashley James, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Bimini, actress-singer Carrie Hope Fletcher and author Giovanna Fletcher, as well as a host of CoppaFeel! supporters and volunteers
The former Made in Chelsea star took to social media to say she’d found a lump on the edge of her left breast and went straight to see her GP
She continued: ‘Upon examination with my GP and given my age, I was referred for an Ultrasound rather than a Mammogram. Unfortunately the results were inconclusive and a biopsy was needed.Â
‘At this point all rational thinking went out the window & I spiraled into my health anxiety. Even the statistics based on my family history (none), physical health (good) age & early detection, couldn’t quieten my mind.
‘I decided whilst waiting for the results I’d try to take a more positive approach. In the day I’d talk to family & close friends (some of which had been through the same) which really helped, but the nights were hard, as I only had my own thoughts and struggled to sleep.
‘Results day finally arrived and the relief of a benign lump with no detection of dangerous cancerous cells, was an elation I had never felt before. It’s believed the lump was likely caused by hormonal changes and didn’t need removing.
‘With 1 in 20 lumps deemed potentially concerning, early detection is one of the most important steps, so please put a few minutes aside for your monthly MOT and don’t put it off!’
Last October, Millie posed topless as she shared a snap on Instagram to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
She looked gorgeous as she posed in a pair of jeans and held up a sign to cover her breasts which read ‘Look at your boobs!’ in hot pink graffiti-style writing.
The star shares two children, daughters Sienna, four, and Aurelia, two, with her husband Hugo Taylor (pictured)
A second sign simple had a stylised picture of breasts over a colourful painted background.
In the caption she wrote: ‘This October, alongside the incredible teams at @pinkribbonfoundation and@women_in_art I’m so proud to be part of the #LookAtYourBoobs campaign, raising awareness for breast health.Â
‘I was genuinely shocked to hear that nearly half of British women still aren’t checking their breasts regularly, and it’s time we raise the conversation, and encourage more women to do it.Â
‘My wonderfully talented friend @laurastowersart will be releasing two beautiful prints for the campaign, with a portion of proceeds supporting @pink ribbonfoundation
‘For #FeelItOnTheFirst, join me in sharing a photo or video inspired by Laura’s artwork. Let’s spread the word, and make breast health awareness a priority all year round.’
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.Â
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
