Elaine Paige discusses watching herself in 'Cats' in 2020
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During an evening of programmes on the BBC dedicated to the 73-year-old musical theatre queen, the show Elaine Paige at the BBC will feature a selection of some of her best-loved songs including Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Memory, and I Know Him So Well. In addition there are also rarely seen clips from the earliest days of the star’s career, and her own interpretations of many musical masterpieces. One of her successful roles was as the lead Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, in which she made her Broadway debut. But along with praise from critics, Elaine also found a lump in her breast that triggered an intensive five-year treatment for breast cancer.
Since her diagnosis and lengthy treatment, the star has been living with the fear that the disease will come back, so much so that she goes to great lengths to try and prevent this from happening.
Speaking to The Sun last year about how the threat of cancer returning still haunts her, she said: “Once you have had breast cancer the fear of it never really leaves you and every year I am checked over and I make sure that I check my breasts.
“But I have been healthy now since that episode and that’s over 20 years ago.
“Of course since then, I am mindful of what I eat and I try not to indulge myself in all the things that are meant to be bad for you, but equally you have got to enjoy life.”
Last year following the death of Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, Elaine used her social media platforms to urge others to regularly check their breasts, adding that she has had “experience with breast cancer”.
The star tweeted to her 41,000 followers: “So sad to hear singer Sarah Harding has died.
“Although I didn’t know her personally, I have experienced breast cancer & beg you all to check yourselves once a month. If affected, don’t delay, take action immediately.”
The NHS explains that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK. Specifically, around one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
Although the condition has several symptoms to be wary of, the medical website explains that the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue. Although most breast lumps are not cancerous, it is always best to have them checked by a doctor.
Other noticeable symptoms that will being checked over by a GP include:
- A change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
- Discharge from either of your nipples, which may be streaked with blood
- A lump or swelling in either of your armpits
- Dimpling on the skin of your breasts
- A rash on or around your nipple
- A change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast.
Breast cancer falls into two different types, which develop in two different parts of the breast. The first, non-invasive breast cancer is found in the ducts of the breast and has not spread into the breast tissue surrounding the ducts. The second, invasive breast cancer is where the cancer cells have spread through the lining of the ducts into the surrounding breast tissue – this is the most common type of breast cancer.
It is also possible for breast cancer to spread to other parts of the body, usually through the blood or the axillary lymph nodes. These are small lymphatic glands that filter bacteria and cells from the mammary gland. If this happens, it is often referred to as secondary or metastatic breast cancer.
One way in which Elaine tries to stay fit in a bid to warn off another battle with cancer is through dance, specifically ballet, which she picked up again at the age of 70.
“I have just taken up ballet again and it’s great for me to do a few plies,” she said in an interview with The Mirror.
“I go to the Silver Swans – The English National Ballet have this charity and it’s for ladies over 55 and I think one of us is well into our 80s.
“We might look peculiar but it keeps you limbered up and mobile.”
The NHS continues to add that if breast cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be treated before it spreads to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer is treated using a combination of:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy.
Surgery is usually the first type of treatment you’ll have, followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy or, in some cases, hormone or targeted treatments. However, the type of surgery and treatment you have afterwards will depend on the type of breast cancer individuals have.
In Elaine’s case, an extensive course of radiotherapy was used to kill the cancer cells. Radiotherapy is usually given daily over several weeks. The therapy is typically given externally through a machine that directs beams of radiation at the cancer, but can also be administered through a radioactive liquid that individuals swallow or have injected.
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