A 41 year-old mother-of-two has warned women to pay attention to subtle changes in their body — after her ‘red flag’ sign of breast cancer was dismissed for more than three years.
Em Davey, who is based in Australia, noticed dry and flaky skin on her right breast in 2021, which doctors told her was likely to be eczema.
She had no reason to question this, assuming the irritated patch was related to breastfeeding two children within the previous five years.
But within months, the wellness blogger began to notice ulcering and scabbing around her nipple, prompting further alarm.
However, doctors repeatedly sent her away with eczema and anti-fungal creams, until the autumn of this year, when an astute GP sent her for a biopsy.
In September, she was given a diagnosis of Paget’s disease — a condition affecting the nipple that is associated with breast cancer in half of cases.
Further tests revealed a cancerous lump behind her nipple, as well as pre-cancerous cells in her milk ducts.
Ms Davey is awaiting results to learn if the disease has spread to her lymph nodes, which gives an indication of prognosis.
Em Davey, who is based in Australia, noticed dry and flaky skin on her right breast in 2021, which doctors told her was likely to be eczema. But in September she was diagnosed with Paget’s disease of the breast
Recalling the first sign something was wrong she said: ‘I was in the shower when I noticed my right nipple looked quite dry right in the centre and a little tiny crusty piece of skin came away.
‘I thought it was a little strange but also thought maybe it just had something to do with finishing up breast feeding (even though that was a while ago).
‘Over the months to follow, slowly my right nipple started to undergo a series of changes.
‘It was happening slowly but was obvious at the same time. It was itchy, irritated, burning, tingling and looking dry and flakey. The other one was completely fine.’
As the months past her symptoms started to improve slightly before getting much worse again.’
Eventually her nipple flattened — also known as an inverted nipple which is a warning sign of breast cancer.
‘If this is a change you have noticed, please see your GP ASAP and discuss a potential biopsy. Not creams,’ Ms Davey stressed in a recent Instagram post.
‘Unfortunately, as Paget’s Disease of the breast is quite rare, it is often misdiagnosed as nipple eczema for months if not years, which sadly is what happened to me. I do not want this for anyone else.’
Ms Davey (pictured with her family) is awaiting results to learn if the disease has spread to her lymph nodes, which gives an indication of prognosis
Ms Davey has since had surgery to remove her right nipple and surrounding breast tissue. She has also recently started a year long course of chemotherapy.
‘No symptom is too small, too silly, too irrelevant,’ she said.
‘Do not let others tell you you’re fine or you’re overacting. The past few months has taught me a lot about my health and self advocacy.
‘Knowing deep down things were off, but finding someone who would listen was a struggle. Never give up fighting for your health.’
Around 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, says Breast Cancer Now.
Meanwhile, roughly 300,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women every year in the US.
The most common first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
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The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. This usually presents as a swelling or lump in an armpit.
However, changes to the skin such as dimpling or a rash on the beast can also be a warning sign.
In some cases breast cancer can cause discharge, a rash or crusting around the nipple.
Most women with Paget’s disease — which affects around 1-4 per cent of breast cancer patients — who do not have a lump have non-invasive cancer, where the cancerous cells are contained in one or more areas of the breast and have not yet spread.
In recent years, doctors have raised concern about the rising number of cancer cases in young people.
Breast cancer rates in those aged 25 to 49 have risen by nearly a fifth since 1990, according to Cancer Research UK.
It’s thought lifestyle habits such as an unhealthy diet causing weight gain and drinking alcohol are driving the rise in cases.
That’s because alcohol boosts levels of oestrogen in the blood, and abnormally high levels of this hormone have been linked to breast cancer.
Being overweight also increases the risk of 13 types of cancer, including breast cancer.
