Younger women² are more likely to be diagnosed later and more likely to develop aggressive forms of breast cancer, which leads to poorer outcomes.³ Earlier detection is needed now.
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.
It is estimated that 316,450 women in North America will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022.³ ⁴ About 57,000 of those will be women under 50.
In Canada, screening recommendations are for women 50-74.⁵ There is no recommended screening for women under 50 of average risk.
When women have extremely dense breast tissue, more cancers are missed than are diagnosed with screening mammography.
Breast cancer research is advancing rapidly. Young women’s breast cancer is an area where new knowledge is starting to build and changing views of the characteristics of the disease in different age groups. Due to the poorer outcomes for younger women and lack of screening in this age group, expanding knowledge is key to earlier detection and better outcomes.
Most breast cancers occur in women 50 and older. While it’s less common for young women to develop breast cancer, it does happen. In fact, in North America, 18% of breast cancer diagnoses are women under 50.
Breast cancer in young women has a higher probability of having a known genetic risk factor. For this reason, many guidelines recommend having a risk assessment around age 30. There are many online tools that can be used to assess individual risk of developing breast cancer.⁶ However most young women that develop breast cancer do not have a known genetic risk factor. This increases the need for women to be knowledgeable and pro-active regarding their breast health.
Most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known family history of this disease. Despite this, a strong family history of breast cancer is still an important risk factor and is included in risk assessments.
< Only about 5–10% of breast cancers are believed to be hereditary, meaning they’re caused by abnormal changes (or mutations) in certain genes passed from parent to child. > The American Cancer Society
There are several types of breast cancer and some are more common among younger women. Black women have a higher chance of developing breast cancer, and more aggressive cancer, before the age of 40 than other races/ethnicities.⁷
Current screening guidelines in Canada recommend women between the ages of 50 and 74 receive screening mammography every two years. There is debate regarding if younger women should be included in regular mammography screening. This is based on many reasons, but the main principle is the balance of the benefits of regular mammography screening with the risks. Younger women are more likely to have dense breast tissue, which leads to a decrease in the ability of mammography to detect the presence of cancer.⁸ Inclusion of other imaging technologies such as ultrasound or MRI increases the probability of false positives, resulting in more procedures. There are many online tools that can be used to assess individual risk of developing breast cancer. Women at high risk may be recommended to receive screening imaging beginning at younger ages, depending on provincial guidelines.⁹
Roughly half of all women have dense or very dense breast tissue – a characteristic that’s more common among premenopausal (younger) women. Women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women less dense breast tissue.
Most breast cancers occur in women 50 and older. While it’s less common for young women to develop breast cancer, it does happen. In fact, in North America, 18% of breast cancer diagnoses are women under 50.
Breast cancer in young women has a higher probability of having a known genetic risk factor. For this reason, many guidelines recommend having a risk assessment around age 30. However most young women that develop breast cancer do not have a known genetic risk factor. This increases the need for women to be knowledgeable and pro-active regarding their breast health.
Most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known family history of this disease. Despite this, a strong family history of breast cancer is still an important risk factor and is included in risk assessments.
< Only about 5–10% of breast cancers are believed to be hereditary, meaning they’re caused by abnormal changes (or mutations) in certain genes passed from parent to child. > The American Cancer Society
There are several types of breast cancer and some are more common among younger women.
Types of breast cancer >
Current screening guidelines in Canada recommend women between the ages of 50 and 74 receive screening mammography every two years. There is debate regarding if younger women should be included in regular mammography screening. This is based on many reasons, but the main principle is the balance of the benefits of regular mammography screening with the risks. Younger women are more likely to have dense breast tissue, which leads to a decrease in the ability of mammography to detect the presence of cancer.⁷ Inclusion of other imaging technologies such as ultrasound or MRI increases the probability of false positives, resulting in more procedures. There are many online tools that can be used to assess individual risk of developing breast cancer.⁸ Women at high risk may be recommended to receive screening imaging beginning at younger ages, depending on provincial guidelines.⁹
Roughly half of all women have dense or very dense breast tissue – a characteristic that’s more common among premenopausal (younger) women. Women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women less dense breast tissue.
< Dense breasts also make a mammogram harder to read. On a mammogram, fatty tissue looks dark, while dense tissue looks white, like tumours, so it can hide a tumour. > Canadian Cancer Society
Syantra DX™ Breast Cancer is a blood test for breast cancer detection that’s easy, convenient and accurate.
< A risk factor is something that increases the risk of developing cancer. It could be a behaviour, substance or condition. Most cancers are the result of many risk factors. But sometimes breast cancer develops in women who don’t have any of the risk factors... >
Oral contraceptives
Oral contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progesterone can slightly increase the risk for breast cancer.
Reproductive history
Women who are older than 30 when they give birth to their first child have a higher risk of breast cancer.
Early menstruation
Starting your period early (11 and under) means that your cells are exposed to estrogen and other hormones for longer, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.
Lifestyle factors
Body mass, exercise and alcohol consumption all have a documented impact on breast cancer risk. Studies show that taking action on lifestyle risk factors can lower your risk of breast cancer.
Invasive breast cancer is when malignant cells have broken through the duct or lobular lining, spreading into the adjacent breast tissue.
Breast cancer that starts in the milk ducts, the tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple. It’s the most common type of breast cancer.
This breast cancer starts in the glands in the breast that produce milk (called the lobules). It’s the second most common type of breast cancer.
The name refers to the fact that the cancer cells don’t have the usual estrogen or progesterone receptors and make little or none of the protein called HER2. This type of cancer tends to be aggressive, has fewer treatment options, and leads to poorer outcomes. Triple Negative breast cancers are more common in women younger than age 40, who are Black, or who have a BRCA1 mutation.
A rare and aggressive form of invasive breast cancer that develops when cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, causing the breast to appear red and swollen. Typically, as already spread to the lymph nodes or other organs on diagnosis. Inflammatory breast cancer occurs most often in young women and Black women.
Also called stage IV breast cancer, is invasive breast cancer that has spread (metastasized) to parts of the body away from the breast, such as the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
Invasive breast cancer that has come back months or years after treatment. It can recur in the same breast, nearby lymph nodes or in another part of the body.
Most male breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas. Fewer than 1 percent of all breast cancers are diagnosed in men.
A rare form of breast cancer where cancer cells collect in or around the nipple. It causes eczema-like changes to the skin of the nipple and the areola. It's usually a sign of breast cancer in the tissue behind the nipple.
Non-invasive breast cancer – also called precancer or in situ breast cancer. The breast cancer has not spread beyond the breast tissue where it started.
This is non-invasive breast cancer that has not spread outside the milk ducts. DCIS isn’t life threatening but is considered a precursor to invasive breast cancer and increases the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer.
This is non-invasive breast cancer that has not spread outside the lobules where it started. Despite its name, LCIS is a benign breast condition and is not a true breast cancer.
Launched in 2014, Know Your Lemons provides cheeky, astute visual images and information to help women identify symptoms of breast cancer and manage their disease.
Young Survival Coalition is a resource dedicated to providing community, addressing the unique needs, amplifying the voices and improving the quality of life of young adults affected by breast cancer.
Founded in 2001, Rethink Breast Cancer (RBC) works to empower young people worldwide who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer. The organization aims to provide support, education, and advocacy programs and dispel myths around breast cancer as an older woman’s disease.
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