A new app aimed at informing women about breast pain has been launched by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).

Breast pain (mastalgia) is a common complaint, affecting most women at some stage in their life.

However, breast pain on its own is usually not a symptom of breast cancer.

The new app has been designed to help women understand the nature of their breast pain in consultation with their GP.

The app gives details of simple measures a women can take to manage this pain and provides a diary that can be filled in on a daily basis or, as appropriate, to record the level and type of pain.

The app enables women to capture and record their pain experience over a three-month period and establish any predictable patterns that emerge. If necessary, the woman can return to her GP after completing the diary.

The app describes simple measures  woman can take to manage her breast pain including taking exercise, keeping to a healthy weight and reducing caffeine intake before a period.

The HSE has pointed out that the lifetime risk for women in Ireland developing breast cancer is one in 10.

There are two main types of breast pain:

Cyclical, which can occur a few days before a period and goes away when the period begins - this usually requires no treatment.

Non-cyclical - This is not related to a woman's period and is most common in women in their forties and fifties. It can occur in one breast and can be due to an injury or to muscle or joint pain in the chest wall. Sometimes, no cause for this type of pain is found.

The app can be accessed by downloading 'NCCP Breast Pain App' from the App Store or the Android market.

It can also be downloaded by scanning the QR code printed on the HSE's Breast Pain Booklet, which is available from GP surgeries.

According to the HSE, a total of 2,124 women were newly-diagnosed with breast cancer at hospital breast clinics where women presented with symptoms following GP referral last year. This represented 5.76% of total attendances at the clinics.

The NCCP says there is likely to be a 108% increase in the incidence of invasive breast cancer over the next 20 years.

Find out more about breast cancer here