Life support system

Published on Sunday 24 September 2006 00:56

SHOPPING in Paris, radiant in her blonde pixie cut and Chloé mini-dress, Kylie Minogue - or at least the early photographs of her following her battle with breast cancer - is evidence that diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it once was.

And just this week Marianne Faithfull spoke of her determination to beat the disease. "I will be well again," she says, "if not better than ever."

The singers are just two in a growing army living full, confident lives in the shadow of breast cancer. Thirty-eight-year-old Kylie is now planning a comeback tour - albeit a slightly less energetic one than the Showgirl extravaganza she was forced to cancel when first diagnosed. But to those other women battling the disease, she says, "You can get through it."

Thanks to better awareness, earlier detection and improved treatment, breast cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by a fifth in the last ten years. It is estimated that 172,000 British women are alive now who have been diagnosed since 1994.

And it took just one of them to make Marks & Spencer do something about its lack of sexy underwear for women who have had a mastectomy. Sheelagh Barron went straight to the top, penning an impassioned letter to the chief executive, Stuart Rose. "I have fought back hard from this illness and I want to celebrate still being an attractive woman," she wrote.

In response, Rose challenged his designers to develop a range of underwear that would be attractive yet practical and supportive enough for women post-surgery.

Soozie Jenkinson, head of design for M&S lingerie, says, "Women wanted to feel feminine and sexy and the styles currently available were quite utilitarian by design, with little in the way of pretty detailing. So what we've done is develop a range from existing lingerie styles, specially tailored to hold a prosthesis."

Bra fitters have also undergone specialist training to ensure they understand the needs of women in the weeks and months after surgery - and they're not too shocked by the sight of the odd scar either.

The range has proved so popular that it has been expanded across Britain, and is now available in the Glasgow Argyle Street and Aberdeen stores as well as online. Anyone who buys their bra from the website can take it into their local branch to be fitted.

Other high-street stores run social evenings for women to get together and be fitted for underwear and swimwear in a friendly, unthreatening environment. "A lot of people thought [having a mastectomy] was the end of nice underwear," says Karen Gillespie, a fashion fitter at John Lewis in Edinburgh. "The evenings we put on are really just to show women they can have more or less any kind of bra they would have worn in the past."

Specialist advice and fitting is available in store at any time, but the next event is due to take place around Christmas. "We try to make it as casual as possible," adds Gillespie, "because it can be a difficult enough situation."

Hair loss is another distressing side-effect of cancer treatment. But a new generation of wigs and hairpieces means you don't have to leave the house fearing that you'll look as if the cat fell asleep on your head.

When Samantha in Sex and the City was undergoing chemotherapy, every episode of the show saw her in a different colour or style of wig to match (or lift) her mood. According to George Theurer of Edinburgh's A&A Studios, though, most women are just happy to look like their old selves. "Very few customers consider a purple wig," he says. A&A is the main supplier of wigs to cancer patients in Scotland, providing around 2,000 every year. "What people want from us is to look and feel like themselves again," he adds. "They want something that is fairly similar to their normal appearance."

And if you don't like the idea of a full wig, Breast Cancer Care's Headstrong service can advise on the creative use of hats, scarves and hairpieces.

Of course, early detection is crucial if survival rates are to continue to rise. We all know we should check ourselves regularly, but do we even know what to look for?

Warning signs could include changes in the size, shape or feel of your breasts; a new lump or thickening in one breast or armpit; puckering, dimpling or redness of the skin; nipple discharge or a change in the position of the nipple; or new pain or discomfort that is only on one side. Don't forget to check the area on your chest above the breast, as well as the armpit.

For more information and details on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, see www.breastcancercare.org.uk