CoppaFeel! FAQs

Around half of female invasive breast cancer cases in England are diagnosed via the two-week wait referral route, where symptoms have been self-detected and reported*. This shows that it is important for women to be educated, as breast screening services only cover women (not men) from 50-70 years old in England. The action of self-checking is something that everyone can carry out, whatever gender or age you are. Even though there isn’t evidence to prove that the act of self-checking can reduce your risk or definitely improve your chances of detecting breast cancer early; it does help to improve your confidence that you know your body and are regularly in tune with any changes to your health. Forming a habit means you are more likely to maintain the action and remember to self-check, which could potentially save your life.

*Stat Cancer Research UK

The CoppaFeel! team makes sure all information and advice is in line with NHS guidance. We also work with other UK based breast cancer charities to reduce confusion around breast awareness messaging to make certain our information is clear and accurate for our target audience. The CoppaFeel! Medical Advisory Group is also responsible for offering advice and support around our health communications. You can meet the current members here.

Our message is for everyone. Anyone regardless of gender can be diagnosed with breast cancer so it is important that our work is inclusive. While cis-women are more likely to be affected by breast cancer, roughly 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK and trans* and non-binary peoples have been reported to experience a higher incidence of late-stage diagnosis due to healthcare access issues or avoidance. Our job is to ensure that everyone with breast tissue (that’s everyone) has the knowledge they need to check their boobs, pecs or chest regularly.

We know from our research that doctors and medical professionals are highly influential in prompting the first check for young women. Most young women are visiting their doctors for contraceptive appointments and cervical screening, so it is a natural point to also talk to them about their breast health. They also have an important role, as if you find a sign or symptom you must visit your doctor first in order to gain a referral to a breast clinic.

Be smart and make sure you are looking at trusted sources, such as the NHS, Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Care. We understand there are lots of confusing messages out there but make sure you don’t believe everything you read and look for official guidance and updates on the sites mentioned above.

Breast cancer can be caused by a genetic mutation, which can considerably increase your risk of having the disease. However, it is less than 10% of breast cancer cases where a link to family history is found. This means there is still a risk of getting breast cancer even if it isn’t in your family.

There have been stories in the media about cases where symptoms were detected lying down. This is one way you can check your boobs, but you don’t have to carry out your check this way. Your boobs will move depending on your position and whether you raise your arms when checking. Therefore standing up and lying down can make it easier to check all areas of the boobs more thoroughly.

We believe that it is important to get to know what feels normal for you. Nobody knows your body better than you and ultimately you will be doing the checking each month so we want to encourage you to be hands on, so to speak. Props and models can sometimes cause unnecessary anxiety if people are unable to find symptoms using the model. They can also lead to people believing there are certain characteristics of a breast cancer lump, which cannot be fully defined.