Beverley Callard has revealed she has a cyst in her leg as she took to Instagram to share a health update with fans on Thursday.
The Coronation Street star, 69, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has been open with her followers during her recovery and treatment plan.
And in a new update the actress revealed she had undergone a blood test before doctors were able to rule out a blood clot and confirm she now has a cyst in her leg.
She told fans: ‘Okay, just got back from the first hospital, good news is it’s definitely not a blood clot.
‘They did an ultrasound, they did everything, every test going they did, and apparently it’s a cyst but it’s quite common.
‘It’s at the back of my knee. I had this pain and I didn’t think it was anything, but it persisted.
Beverley Callard has revealed she has a cyst in her leg after feeling ‘persistent pain’ as she gave an update on her radiotherapy treatment amid breast cancer diagnosis on Thursday
‘So then I thought I should go and obviously I was panicked a little bit yesterday, but I’m okay.’
Beverley then explained what this means for her radiotherapy treatment as she continued: ‘So, now in five minutes, I set off to go meet the radiotherapist for the first time.’
Returning from the hospital she said: ‘Well, I’m back home now after my visit to St. Luke’s to see the radiotherapist. He just said that I’ll be having 10 days of radiotherapy, five consecutive days, then a weekend off, then five more days.
‘I’m not sure when it starts yet. They’ll let me know. They will send me an appointment to have a body scan and do the mapping, that’s the first thing, and they’ll let me know soon when that begins, so really that’s all I know at the moment.’
She confirmed that she is still able to work while she awaits treatment starting.
Last month Beverley revealed how medics were worried she should have started radiotherapy earlier following her breast cancer diagnosis.
The star admitted it ‘wasn’t what she wanted to hear’ after attending the hospital to discuss a treatment plan with doctors.
Beverley has moved to Ireland from England and revealed it had taken a while for her medical records to be transferred between the countries.
Beverley, who is known for playing Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, first publicly revealed her diagnosis on Ireland’s RTE Late Late Show earlier this year.
Returning from the hospital she said: ‘Well, I’m back home now after my visit to St. Luke’s to see the radiotherapist. He just said that I’ll be having 10 days of radiotherapy, five consecutive days, then a weekend off, then five more days’
At the time, she announced she was having her lymph nodes removed as a precautionary measure in a bid to stop the cancer spreading.
Beverley said on Instagram: ‘Well I went to the hospital today at quarter past three, and they all seemed very nice, obviously they’re new to me.
‘They are a little concerned because they think I should’ve started the radiotherapy before now but of course because we moved house, it took a while for my medical records to come from England to Ireland et cetera but they’ve all arrived.
‘I’ve got to go back on Thursday morning to see some more doctors and medical people and then they will begin it soon so it went okay, it went okay.
‘So I will keep you updated.’
In her video caption, she put: ‘A trip to the breast clinic today… it went ok, not quite what I wanted to hear but a step forward nonetheless. Hoping to get started as soon as possible!’
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
