- You are here:
- Home »
- Blog »
- breast cancer »
- Breast Cancer Diagnoses occur in Younger Women
Breast Cancer Diagnoses occur in Younger Women
According to research, a surprising number of breast cancer diagnoses occur in younger women. As a long-term survivor of an incurable cancer (not BC), I want to stress two therapies that are evidence-based but not yet promoted by oncology.
And those two therapies are:
My perspective is that I have lived with a host of short-term, long-term and late-stage side effects caused by aggressive conventional therapies. I firmly believe that prehabilitation and gut microbiome enhancement could have reduced or even eliminated these side effects.
The Microbiome, Breast Cancer and Probiotics
Newly Diagnosed with Cancer? How Prehabilitation Prepares You for Treatment
The focus of the research below is on the importance of breast cancer screening. While that issue is certainly central to the discussion of Breast Cancer Diagnoses occurring in Younger Women, I am simply trying to bring these two key issues to breast cancer patients.
My thinking is that, like me, younger BC survivors may be living with their cancer for years, potentially necessitating managing BC for a long, long time. So setting your mind and body up in the beginning can help you manage the ups and downs of breast cancer.
Have you been diagnosed with breast cancer? What type? What stage? Scroll down the page, post a question or a comment, and I will reply to you ASAP.
Hang in there,
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
A Surprising Number of Younger Women Are Getting Breast Cancer
Breast cancer in younger women is more common—and more aggressive—than current screening guidelines suggest. Stable trends across 11 years show a need for earlier, personalized risk evaluation.
A review of data from seven outpatient centers in the New York region shows that 20 to 24% of all breast cancers detected over an 11-year period occurred in women between ages 18 and 49. These findings are being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
“This research shows that a significant proportion of cancers are diagnosed in women under 40, a group for whom there are no screening guidelines at this time,” said Stamatia Destounis, M.D., radiologist Elizabeth Wende Breast Care (EWBC) in Rochester, New York. “Consideration must be given by physicians caring for women in this age group to performing risk assessment in order to identify those who may benefit from more intensive screening due to being higher risk.”
National data has been pointing toward a gradual increase in breast cancer among younger women, which has led experts to rethink age-based screening recommendations and how risk levels are determined…
Current Screening Guidelines and Gaps for Younger Patients
For women considered average risk, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammography every other year beginning at age 40 and continuing through age 74. The American Cancer Society advises annual mammograms starting at age 45, with the option to begin between ages 40 to 44. Women with higher risk due to specific factors may be advised to undergo both breast MRI and mammography each year starting at about age 30, but no official screening guidelines currently exist for women younger than that…
Younger Women Represent a Consistent Share of Diagnoses
Although women younger than 50 made up only 21% to 25% of screened patients each year, they consistently accounted for about one quarter of all breast cancers detected.
“This is striking because it shows that younger women not only carry a stable and substantial share of the breast cancer burden, but their tumors are often biologically aggressive,” she said. “That combination—steady incidence plus disproportionately aggressive biology—directly challenges age-based screening cutoffs and strengthens the case for earlier, risk-tailored screening approaches…”
Age Alone Cannot Determine Screening Needs
Dr. Destounis emphasized that the study’s key message is that breast cancer in younger women is not uncommon and, when present, is often more serious.
“We can’t rely only on age alone to decide who should be screened,” she said. “Paying closer attention to personal and family history, and possibly screening earlier for some women, could help detect these cancers sooner.”
breast cancer diagnoses occur in younger women breast cancer diagnoses occur in younger women