Breast cancer in young women

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women affecting approximately 1 in 8 individuals worldwide in 2021; it is also the third most common cause of death from cancer in women. Breast cancer screening programs recommend yearly screening of women starting at 40 years of age unless they are considered higher-than-average risk. Indeed, research studies have shown that screening women starting from 40 years of age with yearly mammograms improves breast cancer survival through early detection and treatment with a resultant decrease in mortality rate of over 40%. Breast cancer screening in women younger than 40 years of age has so far focussed only on those who have a genetic predisposition, either through carrying the breast cancer genes or due to a strong family history. However, as in women over the age of 40 years, the overwhelming majority of breast cancers in younger women occur in individuals who have no breast cancer gene mutations (90-95%) or without a first-degree relative with breast cancer (89%). [excerpt]