It was an excellect report and Graham did our campaign a great deal of good. I never did expect the Doctor or the GP to say any more than they did. But in reply I would like to say this.

As to the diagnosis Leigh went to the GP in January and the GP said don't worry about it. She went back a month later and a different GP felt she had no problems and gave her a non urgent referral, it was the middle of May before got to see the specialist and it was stage three cancer the aggressive type.

The breast clinic suggested that her sister go to her GP and get them to make an appointment. Her GP felt there was no reason to make an urgent referral because they could not feel anything and it was 2 months before she saw the specialist.

Most younger woman get an aggressive cancer so an early diagnosis is so important and here is some good news I believe about 90% of woman who have been referred to a breast clinic do not have cancer.

Here's a bit from Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Breakthrough Breast Cancer welcomes the inclusion of the new Equality and Health Bills in the Queen's speech. We hope that together with the NHS Constitution and its focus on the rights and responsibilities of patients, these Bills will ensure that all patients have access to the best possible services, treatments and care whoever they are, wherever they live and whatever their age.

Maybe if Breakthrough breast cancer and a few of the other breast care charities put a little money into helping build a better front line in the fight against breast cancer we might stop a lot more women having the nightmares that breast cancer brings with it. They spend millions on looking for a cure but until they find one a better front line is the next best option.

I do not believe anyone has to spend a great deal of money to improve the early diagnosis of breast cancer all they have to do is get someone who knows about breast lumps to check them out. Someone who deals with breast lumps all day might know alot more than a GP who might see one patient a year with breast cancer and who is guided by a very biased set of guidelines.

This is what I think and why I am still concerned about what the Doctors and GP said. I got this from one of the cancer sites

What Is Different About Breast Cancer In Younger Women?

Diagnosing breast cancer in younger women (under 40 years old) is more difficult because their breast tissue is generally denser than the breast tissue in older women. By the time a lump in a younger woman's breast can be felt, the cancer often is advanced.

In addition, breast cancer in younger women may be aggressive and less likely to respond to treatment. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age are more likely to have a mutated (altered) BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.

Delays in diagnosing breast cancer also are a problem. Many younger women who have breast cancer ignore the warning signs -- such as a breast lump or unusual discharge -- because they believe they are too young to get breast cancer.

Many women assume they are too young to get breast cancer and tend to assume a lump is a harmless cyst or other growth. Some health care providers also dismiss breast lumps in young women as cysts and adopt a "wait and see" approach.

I do not think that is good enough.