October is breast cancer awareness month, and the pink ribbons are already showing up on office lanyards, church notice boards and your WhatsApp status updates. The colour is soft, but the numbers behind it aren’t. The International Agency for Research on Cancer’s 2024 estimates for Nigeria put breast cancer at 44,196 new cases in a single year, about 29% of all new cancers in the country, and 21,309 deaths, more than any other cancer.
Those figures can feel distant until it’s your mum, your aunty or the woman who sits next to you in choir. So instead of just changing your profile picture this month, use it to learn what a worrying change actually looks like, how to check yourself at home and where to go when something feels off.
It’s the cancer Nigerian women face most, and family history isn’t the whole story
Among Nigerian women, breast cancer makes up roughly half of all new cancer cases, according to the same IARC estimates. Being female is the biggest risk factor, and risk goes up with age, but younger women aren’t exempt, so don’t assume it’s only a concern for your grandmother’s generation.
A lot of people relax because nobody in their family has had it. The World Health Organization points out that most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known family history, which means “it doesn’t run in my family” is not a reason to skip checking. Men can get it too, although it’s rare, with WHO putting men at about 0.5 to 1% of cases. If your father, brother or husband notices a lump in his chest, he should take it to a doctor just as seriously.
Other things that raise the risk include obesity, harmful alcohol use, tobacco, older age, previous radiation exposure and some hormone treatments after menopause. You can’t change your age or your genes, but weight, drinking and smoking are things you have some say over, and small daily choices like the ones in this guide to foods to cut back on after 40 without giving up Nigerian food do add up over the years.
The changes your body might be trying to show you
WHO lists the signs to look out for as a lump or thickening in the breast, often without any pain, a change in the size, shape or appearance of the breast, skin changes such as dimpling, redness or pitting that can look like orange peel, changes to the nipple or the skin around it, and unusual or bloody fluid coming from the nipple. A sore on the breast that refuses to heal also needs a doctor’s eyes.
Please don’t panic if you find a lump, because most breast lumps are not cancer. Many turn out to be harmless cysts or other benign growths. What you shouldn’t do is wait for it to start hurting before you act. WHO advises that anyone with an abnormal breast lump should see a health worker even if it doesn’t hurt, since cancers caught while they’re small and haven’t spread are much easier to treat.
Five minutes once a month, in front of your own mirror
A breast self-check costs nothing and takes a few minutes. The point isn’t to diagnose yourself, it’s to know what’s normal for your body so you notice quickly when something changes. Pick a set time every month. If you still see your period, a few days after it ends is best, because your breasts are usually less tender and lumpy then. If you’ve gone through menopause, choose a date you’ll remember, like the first day of every month.
Start by standing in front of a mirror with your arms by your sides, then with your hands raised above your head, and look for any difference in size, shape, skin or nipples. Then use the flat pads of your three middle fingers to press in small circles over the whole breast, from the collarbone down to below the bra line and out into the armpit, since breast tissue extends there. Many women find it easier to do the feeling part while lying down, or in the shower when the skin is soapy. Finish by checking the nipple for any discharge or a nipple that has recently started turning inwards.
If something feels different from last month, or one side suddenly looks unlike the other, book a visit to a clinic. Don’t spend weeks pressing it every day to see whether it’ll go away on its own.
Where to get checked properly in Nigeria
A self-check is a start, not a replacement for a proper examination. A doctor or trained nurse at a general hospital, a federal or state teaching hospital, or a good private clinic can do a clinical breast examination, and depending on your age and what they find, they may send you for an ultrasound scan, a mammogram or a biopsy. WHO notes that mammography screening is usually offered to women aged roughly 50 to 69, before any symptoms appear, so if you’re in that age range, ask your doctor about it even if you feel completely fine.
October is also when many state ministries of health, hospitals, churches, mosques and charities run free or subsidised screening days. Look out for announcements from your local general hospital or your state’s ministry of health, and make sure whoever is running the screening is a real medical team. If they find anything unusual, they should refer you to a hospital, not sell you a cream or a bottle of herbs on the spot.
The fears and stories that keep women away from the hospital
Plenty of women know about a lump for months before they tell anyone. Some are afraid of what the doctor will say, some worry about the cost, and some have been told it’s a spiritual attack or something a herbal mixture will dissolve. Prayer and family support matter a great deal, but they work best alongside proper medical care, not in place of it, because WHO is clear that deaths fall when breast cancer is detected and treated early.
A few myths are worth clearing up as well. According to the United States National Cancer Institute, the best studies so far have found no evidence that antiperspirants or deodorants cause breast cancer, and cancer isn’t something you catch by hugging, sharing a room or caring for someone who has it. So there’s no reason to keep your distance from a friend going through treatment. If anything, she needs you to show up.
Regular movement helps with weight and general health too, and if you’ve been meaning to get active again, these ideas on staying fit in your 30s without stress are an easy place to begin.
Before October runs out, do your own check, then send this to the women you love and ask them to do theirs. If you notice anything unusual, see a doctor rather than relying on anything you read online, this article included. A five-minute habit and one clinic visit can make a real difference to how a story ends.
Join the conversation