Attending breast cancer screening can be a vital step in detecting symptoms, so a new project aims to make sure all women feel welcome at appointments.
The ‘Beautiful Women’ project features stunning portraits of LGBT+ women to encourage those in the community to attend screening.
The images, created by Australian photographer Lisa White in partnership with mammogram providers BreastScreen Victoria, will be used in advertising material to illustrate that screening is for everyone.
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BreastScreen Victoria/Lisa White
The 40 portraits are of women between the ages of 26 to 76, but the majority of participants are over the age of 50, reflecting the fact that this age group has the highest risk of breast cancer.
In the UK, all women who are 50 to 70 years of age are invited for screening every three years as part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme.
“The Beautiful Women exhibition is a part of our organisation’s commitment to recognising the diversity of women,” Vicki Pridmore, CEO, of BreastScreen Victoria told The Huffington Post UK.
“In this case, it’s about engaging LGBTI women in understanding that BreastScreen Victoria is an inclusive environment for breast screening services.
“Lisa White’s images, and they’re stunning, celebrate LGBTI women and challenge society’s narrow definitions of beauty.”
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BreastScreen Victoria/Lisa White
The photos were created following research in both the UK and Australia which found older lesbian and bisexual women were less likely to attend regular screening than heterosexual women of the same age.
According to BreastScreen Victoria, there’s also some evidence to suggest hormone therapy increases breast cancer risk for transgender men and women, so it’s imperative they feel able to attend appointments.
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BreastScreen Victoria/Lisa White
According to Pridmore, previous negative experiences in the healthcare system can put LGBT+ women off from attending breast cancer screening.
“We know that when LGBTI women visit a health service they bring with them all their past experiences and fears,” she said.
“These elements not only impact negatively on a woman’s experience and choice, but they also deter her from accessing routine screening due to lack of awareness, or for fear of the ignorance and discrimination she may encounter.”
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BreastScreen Victoria/Lisa White
The photo project is part of BreastScreen Victoria’s commitment to achieving a Rainbow Tick accreditation within the next two years.
In Australia, health centres are given a Rainbow Tick if they can demonstrate inclusive practice and service delivery which helps the LGBT+ community.
The images will appear as part of the Midsumma Festival in Melbourne later in January.
Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)