Report Highlights Challenges of Young Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
![breast cancer](http://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/breast-cancer-ribbon-200x83.jpg)
- Nearly 800 young women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Australia – that is more than 2 women each day. By 2020, 830 young women are predicted to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia each year.
- In 2010 14,181 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia; 767 of these were women under 40 years old.
- Because it’s relatively uncommon, symptoms of breast cancer in young women – such as a lump or breast pain - can often be ignored or dismissed. Routine mammographic screening is not offered to women under the age of 40, as the evidence shows that it is not effective in this group.
- Young women tend to think they are ‘bullet proof’. They are often fit and active, with no discernible risk factors. Because of this, receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer comes as a huge shock to the young woman, her family and friends.
- Young women are typically diagnosed with more aggressive breast cancers than older women, and are at higher risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body. They have a higher chance of the breast cancer returning and are more likely to die from the disease than older women diagnosed with breast cancer, regardless of the stage of the cancer.
- Because young women are commonly diagnosed with more aggressive breast cancers, their treatment is often more aggressive. These treatments can result in physical and psychological changes that can affect their future and quality of life.
- The role of family history in breast cancer in young women can be overestimated. Family history only explains a maximum of 15% of breast cancers in young women.
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