Information for Young Women

When it comes to breast cancer, “young” usually means anyone younger than 40 years old. Breast cancer is less common among women in this age group. In 2000, less than 5% of all breast cancer cases occurred in women under age 40.

However, women who are diagnosed at a younger age are more likely to have mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. If a woman carries the defective BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, she may have a 50% to 85% chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, having a mother, daughter or sister who has or had breast cancer also increases a young woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. With early detection and ever improving therapies, most young women can expect to live a long life after treatment. If you are concerned about your genetic risk, ask your doctor to refer you to a genetic counselor or a breast cancer specialist.

Diagnosing breast cancer in younger women can be more difficult because their breast tissue is often thicker than older women’s. By the time a lump can be felt in a younger woman, it is often large enough and advanced enough to lower her chances of survival. In addition, the cancer may be more aggressive and less responsive to hormone therapies. Delay of diagnosis in younger women is a special problem because it is so rare for a younger woman to get the disease. As a result, younger women are often told that a lump is just a cyst and to wait and watch it. Tell your doctor if you notice a change in either of your breasts, and think about getting a second opinion if you are not satisfied with his or her advice.

Young women and fertility
Young women who are breast cancer survivors have some issues that are unique to their age group.  One important issue is that of having children.  Chemotherapy can cause early menopause which can be very disheartening for younger women who had hoped to have children.  For women who don’t go through early menopause, Tamoxifen therapy can also shorten the window of opportunity to have children. Because tamoxifen can cause birth defects, it is important for women to wait until they are off the drug before becoming pregnant. However, standard Tamoxifen therapy is five years, which impacts women’s child bearing years.