Fake boobs but real health tips

KNOW YOUR BREASTS:Nurses Tonia Stringer (left) and Deb Swann manned the Pink Caravan in Majestic Square yesterday and let people feel lumps in a pair of model breasts. PHOTO/ BEVAN CONLEY

People had the opportunity to feel some breasts in Victoria Ave yesterday - model ones.

The Pink Caravan made a stop in Wanganui yesterday as part of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation tour of the country. The caravan is travelling through 33 towns and cities in NZ to provide information to people about breast cancer and its symptoms.

Nurses Deb Swann and Tonia Stinger manned the stand at Majestic Square and at least 50 people stopped to talk to them and ask questions.

"We've had some good conversations about being aware," Ms Stringer said.

As well as numerous pamphlets and booklets, the nurses also had a model of a torso, with a pair of fake breasts that demonstrated various cancer symptoms.

People could also feel the model to find lumps of different sizes and depths in the breast area.

"A lot of males pick up on their partners," Ms Stringer said.

Ms Swann said the smallest lump someone would be able to feel was usually about 1cm in diameter, but it depended on the size and density of the breast.

"You can imagine if you were someone with A-cup breasts for example, you don't have a lot of breast tissue... it's possibly easier to feel than if you had a double-D cup."

It was also important to factor in that younger women typically had denser breast tissue than older women.

"If anyone feels anything that's different for them, that's when they need to act," Ms Swann said.

"You know what's normal for you and you can have what's not normal checked."

The nurses were also asking people to sign a petition for the government to extend free breast cancer screening to age 74 up from the current limit of 69.

The Breast Cancer Foundation said women were at a higher risk of cancer in their 70s than in their 50s.

Ms Swann also pointed out there was a relatively new initiative to provide free counselling to people with breast cancer, though patients would need their doctors to fill out a referral form.

There is also a specialist breast-care nurse phone line to call for advice. Anyone wanting to speak to the nurse can call 0800 BCNurse, or 0800 2268773.