Beverley Callard has issued a health update after completing radiotherapy treatment amid breast cancer battle.The Coronation Street star, 69, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has constantly updated followers during her treatment and hospital appointments.Last month, the actress shared the fantastic news that she had completed all ten of her radiotherapy sessions.Despite the good news, Beverley said that she was told the ‘worst was yet to come’ while appearing on RTE Radio on Tuesday.She said: ‘They told me and said it was cancer. It was just numb really, it took a little while for it to sink in. ‘I just decided to keep going to work, mainly because, you just sit at home thinking about it. Beverley Callard has issued a health update after completing radiotherapy treatment amid breast cancer battle The Coronation Street star, 69, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has constantly updated followers during her treatment and hospital appointments’I worked all that day, and the next day and the next day because there was nothing I could do.”I finished radiotherapy a couple of weeks ago. I don’t have the results yet, I’ve got to wait, I don’t know what the prognosis is and the next steps are but I coped with the radiotherapy well.’I said to the staff that I thought I’d done well because I’d not missed any work and let anyone down. ‘They said ‘Yeah but the worst is yet to come.”The actress added: ‘The side effects come a bit later. Burnt skin, I was very nauseous, so tired, it wipes you and I didn’t think I would be.’ [The treatment] isn’t frightening, the thought of cancer is frightening, but I have met the most wonderful people through this.’Beverley has been keeping fans up to date with her journey via her own social media platform.Last month she took to Instagram and gave her followers an update on how she’s doing, admitting she’s ‘felt dreadful’.Sharing a clip of her sitting on the bed, she said: ‘Well, what a weekend. I’ve finished radiotherapy for now, last Thursday. And in my naivety I thought, “well that’s great.” Beverley has been keeping fans up to date with her journey via her own social media platform’More often than not, I’ve done really well. Sometimes feeling a bit poorly and etcetera, but not too bad at all.’This weekend, oh my god, I’ve felt dreadful. My skin on my chest and everywhere is now so sore.’I’m putting all sorts of things on. Aloe vera, loads of lotions and potions, and I’ve been so nauseous, and almost like morning sickness.’I’ve only been sick a couple of times, but I feel dizzy, I feel worn out.’To be honest, I’m in shock.’It’s funny because a nurse did say to me, “It’s not actually over,” she said. “Really, it’s the beginning when you sort of finish your treatment.”‘So I understand what she meant now, and another lady said to me, “Beverley, you’re still cooking,” and I understand that now as well.’My skin is so hot, and it feels hot inside as well. So I’m coping, and I’m trying hard, but I do have to rest a lot, so I’m going to research vitamins and health foods.’I am eating healthily, although my appetite is gone.’But yeah, I’m going to do lots of research. So anybody else going through it, just remember, don’t expect too much of yourself.’Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?What is breast cancer?It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.What causes breast cancer?A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign. The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.How is breast cancer diagnosed?Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray. How is breast cancer treated?Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.How successful is treatment?The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000