MORE patients than ever before are surviving breast cancer, but there is more to do.

Surviving early breast cancer can bring new hope, but concerns about the disease returning may never go away.

Fears and concerns such as this were raised at the special Clear and Now: Living Life Beyond Cancer event held last week. Among the speakers were Debbie Dowie and Victoria Derbyshire, who have both been treated for the condition.

They were joined by Dr Helen Mitchell, who works at The Christie and Sinead Collins (Maggie’s Manchester), and local MPs, Sir Graham Brady and Lucy Powell.

The event, held at The Christie School of Oncology in Manchester, brought together breast cancer patients, friends and family, healthcare professional policy-makers to discuss how to improve early breast cancer survival and help people live beyond breast cancer by providing emotional and practical support — from reconstruction surgery, side-effects of medication and other issues facing those who have come through treatment.

It formed part of the Clear and Now campaign.

Mrs Dowie, who moved to Lostock when her footballer husband was appointed manager of Oldham Athletic, started the Boot out Breast Cancer charity seven years ago. Her husband, Iain is now a television presenter and pundit and Mrs Dowie raises money to support hospitals and raise awareness of the condition.

Now living on the outskirts of Bolton, she said: "I don't think myself as a survivor, but as a woman who has had breast cancer.

"There is the worry at the back of your mind that it could come back.

"I was lucky that my cancer was detected early and I did not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy,.

"But sometimes after that treatment some may need counselling and emotional support."

According to a Breast Cancer Care survey of 800 women, one in four found end of treatment the hardest part of having breast cancer, with more than half surveyed reporting that they struggle with anxiety at the end of treatment and nearly a third with depression.

The Clear and Now Campaign has been funded and organised by Roche Products Ltd which is working to improving the standard of support and treatment for women living with breast cancer, including the care pathway, to help more women become breast cancer survivors

It was through the event that Mrs Dowie, a mum of two, heard about the work Maggie's in Manchester does to support women after the treatment, which she says she now wants to find out more about.

Mrs Dowie was diagnosed in 2009 after noticing 'subtle' changes. She said she was very aware of knowing her body because she has had friends who have had cancer and lost a friend to the illness.

Mrs Dowie, who enjoyed staying fit and healthy, had a mastectomy and reconstruction at the same time as surgery and was up and running six weeks later.

Concerns during and after treatment can include concerns about image — with other women having asked to see her scars.

Now she works to raise money through her charity to buy the latest diagnostic equipment in NHS hospitals.

Mrs Dowie urged women to notice changes to their body to help spot the cancer.

"If anything, get to know your bodies. My changes were subtle, I had lost a few pounds, but it was the puckering of the nipple. The lump was so small, and behind the nipple I would never have felt it," said Mrs Dowie, who said her gut instinct was telling her something was wrong.

"The NHS was fantastic. It is so important to get the early diagnosis and make that appointment. It maybe the diagnosis is a cyst, but you have to make the appointment.

"The surgeons we have are incredible, they do perform miracles."

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, one person is diagnosed every 10 minutes, and one in eight women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

Breast cancer survival is improving and has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer can lead to diagnosing the cancer sooner. A survey found a third of women aren’t regularly checking, with a fifth saying it is because they don’t know how to check their breasts.

For more information visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/breast-cancer-symptoms.pdf