A HUDDERSFIELD surgeon is calling on more women to be "breast aware" in a bid to tackle cancer.
Shabana Iqbal, consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, is urging women to check their breasts regularly for changes.
The call comes after 200 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed at the Infirmary last year.
Most cases were in women over the age of 40, with 38% of all patients aged 51 to 60.
But 6% were in women aged 30 to 40 and 2% of those diagnosed were aged 20 to 30.
The youngest was only 26.
Miss Iqbal said: "It is very difficult to diagnose in younger women because the breasts are denser, making it more difficult to feel for lumps.
"In older people the breast tissue is more fatty, so lumps are more obvious to feel.
"It is well worth being `breast aware', so that if there is a change in your breast it is easier to pick up on."
She said lumps were the most common sign of breast cancer, but changes around the nipple area were also important to watch for.
Miss Iqbal added: "Breast cancer can be a hard lump, but this is not always the case.
"If women notice anything that feels different they should get themselves investigated with all the tools we have."
Miss Iqbal's advice comes after 36-year-old pop star Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer last week.
Miss Iqbal added: "She is 36, so it is quite uncommon.
"But the chances of getting over breast cancer are better now than they were five years ago.
"Each new drug or treatment that comes through gives us an advantage.
"Overall, the outlook for breast cancer patients is very good compared to five or 10 years ago," she said.
