Sarah, Duchess of York – who revealed earlier this year she had undergone a single mastectomy – is set to launch a breast cancer campaign.

The 64-year-old will make her debut on Loose Women on Thursday to help launch the show’s inaugural Don’t Skip Your Screening campaign, highlighting the importance of being screened for cancer.

In June, the duchess revealed she was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer before successfully undergoing mastectomy surgery.

Ahead of her appearance on the ITV chat show, she said: “I almost missed the screening appointment that saved my life.

“I couldn’t face a journey into London on a hot day this summer and it was only my sister Jane’s insistence that I went, that persuaded me.

“My cancer was completely symptom-free – I never found a lump and did not feel ill,” Sarah added. “My experience underlines the vital importance of getting screened when you’re called in.”

The charity Breast Cancer Now said it is “extremely grateful” the TV show is “shining a bright spotlight on breast screening” and “highlighting the important issue of tackling the shortfall in women having breast screening caused by the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The charity added: “Breast screening is a vital tool in helping to detect breast cancer at the earliest possible stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.

It is the most common cancer in the UK, with Cancer Research UK saying it makes up 15% of newly diagnosed cancers. While more common in women, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancer

According to the NHS, often the first noticeable symptom of breast cancer is a lump or area of thickened breast tissue – which is why it’s so crucial to regularly check your breasts or pecs and be familiar with what is normal for you.

While not all lumps are cancerous, it’s always important to have them checked by a doctor.

Other possible symptoms to keep track of, according to the NHS, include: a change in size or shape of your breasts, discharge from your nipples, a lump or swelling in you armpits, dimpling on the skin of your breasts, a rash on or around your nipple, and any changes to the appearance of your nipple.

Checking your breasts or pecs

Charity CoppaFeel! encourages everyone to check their breasts or pecs every month, so they’re able to identify any changes quickly.

Changes aren’t always obvious just by looking, so doing self examinations with your hands – not just around your boobs but up to your armpit and collarbone – is advised. CoppaFeel! even runs a text service with monthly reminders.

If you find any lumps or notice other unusual changes, the advice is to see your GP as soon as possible. They might then send you for a breast screening (mammogram) and arrange for a biopsy, where a small sample of tissue is taken for closer examination. Women between 50 and 70 years old are offered breast cancer screenings every three years as part of the NHS screening programme.

Treatment

Breast cancer can be treated using surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and drugs. Treatment will depend on the type of cancer someone has, which mostly falls into two categories: non-invasive or invasive.

Breast cancer survival has doubled in the last 50 years, with chances of recovery significantly increasing the earlier it’s detected. Over three-quarters (76%) of people with breast cancer survive for 10 or more years, Cancer Research UK says.

Sarah, Duchess of York will sit on the Loose Women panel on November 2 from 12:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.