‘DID MY MOBILE GIVE ME CANCER?’
A MUM OF TWO who carried her mobile phone in her bra for 15 years claims it could have given her breast cancer.
Lorraine Allaway went for a routine mammogram in February which picked up a “suspicious” lump on her left breast.
Further tests revealed the lump was cancerous and she was sent for an emergency operation just days later.
She now believes the disease may have been triggered through years of stuffing her mobile phone down her bra.
“I’ve been carrying my mobile in my bra as far back as I can remember,” she said.
“When I worked for Cardiff council years ago people used to laugh at me for doing it.
“My work colleagues would say ‘Lorraine, your boob is glowing again.’
“But I often used to miss calls when I put the phone in my bag as I couldn’t hear it.
“Putting it my bra was easy access. Simple as that.”
Lorraine was invited for a routine mammogram, which took place at a mobile unit in Tesco Pontypool, after turning 50 years old.
“I didn’t have any signs or symptoms, and there’s no history of cancer in our family, so it’s never been a worry for me,” she said.
“They didn’t confirm there and then that it was breast cancer, but they did say it was suspicious.
“I was then invited to Cardiff for a further mammogram and then sent for an ultrasound scan and biopsy.”
An oncologist at Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny, confirmed her worst fears.
“I just went numb. I couldn’t quite
I often used to miss calls when I put the phone in my bag as I couldn’t hear it
believe it,” she said. “But luckily the cancer had been caught early. The consultant told me I’d need an operation to remove the lump and surrounding tissue.
“If the tests were then clear, I wouldn’t need chemotherapy. Thankfully they were.”
Surgeons removed two lymph nodes from around Lorraine’s breast and she will undergo radiotherapy later this month at Velindre in Cardiff.
The grandmother of two posted a warning about mobile phones on Facebook which has received more than 100 likes. Her post said: “The cancerous lump they found was in my left breast on the left side – exactly where my mobile phone would lie.
“Is this a coincidence? I don’t know, it could be.
“But I think it is very uncanny that my cancer was in the exact place where my mobile phone would be, don’t you?
“I know there is no proof but we have all heard stories connecting mobile phones to cancer.
“I know I am not the only one to put their mobile down their bra for safe keeping.
“Are you one of those that do? Then please STOP. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
“I am one of the lucky ones, but my doctor said if it had been another 12 months then, well, it’s not worth thinking about.”
Lorraine said the support and care she received from NHS was “fabulous”.
“If I could thank each and every one of them personally – from the consultants to the cleaners – I would,” added the Pontypool resident.
“They treated me like I was the only patient they were seeing that day.
“And the aftercare has been amazing, too.
“The scars I was left with remind me how lucky I have been, as I still have my breast, even though it is a bit dented.”
Cancer Research UK says there is little convincing evidence to suggest mobile phones could cause cancer.
Katie Edmunds, Cancer Research UK’s health information officer, said: “We’re really sorry to hear of Lorraine’s diagnosis. Understanding what increases cancer risk can be complex.
“At present there is no convincing evidence to show that mobile phones can increase the risk of any type of cancer.
“But because mobiles are a fairly new technology, research is continuing to check for any effects over longer periods of time.
“Breast cancer is very common and a wide range of things increase the risk of developing the disease, including getting older, family history, hormone levels and lifestyle factors.”