Celebrity breast cancer announcements highlight the rise in young women’s rates

Several young celebrities have announced diagnostics of breast cancer in the past year – a public reminder that Rates increase in women under the age of 50 in the United States

Pop singer Jessie J, 37, revealed this week on Instagram that She has breast cancer at an early stage And plans to undergo surgery later this month. Katie Thurston, former star of “The Bachelorette”, documented his trip with stadium breast cancer On social networks after being diagnosed earlier this year at 34. And actor Danielle Fishel, known for his role in the 90s sitcom “Boy Meets World”, revealed his diagnosis At the age of 43 at fans last summer.

New diagnoses of breast cancer in young women have increased considerably in the last decade. From 2012 to 2021 – The last decade of data – the rate increased 1.4% per year in women under the age of 50Compared to 0.7% per year among women aged 50 and over.

The trend applies to all racial or ethnic groups, especially American and island women from the Pacific under 50, for whom Diagnostics have increased by almost 50% Since 2000. Black women have had the highest breast cancer rate before the age of 40 and have been most likely to die from the disease.

Women under 40 are generally not informed of obtaining mammograms unless they have a strong risk factor for breast cancer, such as family history or genetic mutation. In this case, the American Cancer Society recommends mammograms from 30 years old, plus an annual breast MRI.

Several breast cancer doctors have declared that young patients and their clinicians should take care not to reject symptoms such as a bump or nipple discharge.

“This thought has always been, if you had a change in your breast but you were a young woman, it was probably nothing,” said Dr. Rani Bansal, assistant professor at the Duke University School of Medicine. “As we see more and more younger women diagnosed … We must take these cases seriously.”

Dr. Oluwadamilola Fayanju, breast surgery at Penn Medicine, said his youngest patient diagnosed with cancer was only 17 years old. She recommended that young women with symptoms go to a center felt in breast imaging.

For women with a high risk of breast cancer, she said: “It may be preferable that you are connected with a dedicated breast supplier who can watch you closely and do regular exams even before 40 years.”

Breast cancer in young women is often more aggressive

As treatment options for breast cancer have improved, the overall mortality rate in younger women with the disease Refused from 2010 to 2020According to the research presented in April to the research meeting of the American Association for Cancer in Chicago.

But young women are even more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer compared to older women. One of the reasons might be that they are not as soon as screened, so it is more difficult to catch the cases early. Young women are also more likely to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, which tends to spread quickly and less treatment options.

Dr. Virginia Borges, professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, said that all women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 35 have a greater probability that cancer will spread to the rest of their bodies, for reasons that doctors do not fully understand.

“It is like this big big puzzle of all these different factors that can contribute to the reason why we see these cancers behaving as they do,” said Borges.

Bansal said doctors hoped to know more about the treatments better suited to women under the age of 50.

“We need more data to better adapt our treatments to young women,” she said. “Many studies carried out are in older women.”

Lifestyle, environment, hormones

There are several mysteries to explain why young women receive a diagnosis of breast cancer at higher rates. Doctors generally agree that several factors are at stake, including lifestyle, hormones and environmental exhibitions.

Diets rich in ultra-transformed foods or a lack of physical activity can lead to obesity, which in turn raises the risk of cancer. Women in the thirties and forties has increased their alcohol consumption in recent decadesAnd drinking alcohol is linked to breast cancer.

Exposure to environmental toxins such as air pollution, chemicals forever or microplastics could also play a role.

“As the women in their forties were babies, each bottle had a BPA. Everyone had teflon pots at home. Everyone pulsed Scotchgard around their house, “said Suzanne Price, CEO of Prevention PREVENTION PARTNERS, a non -profit organization that strives to eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals.

Several researchers said that more data were needed to definitively establish this link.

“I hope that in the coming years, we should have more knowledge of how these early life exhibitions lead to the risk of breast cancer,” said Dr. Adetunji Toriola, Washington University School of Medicine surgery.

Some studies have suggested that chemical hair smokers, which are mainly used by black women, can be associated with An increased risk of breast cancer. Fayanju said that smokers “can potentially have effects on our ability to treat hormones in our body and how these hormones then interact with the cells of our breasts, which have receptors for these hormones”.

Changes in the reproductive life of women could also have some effect.

In the United States, girls are Start their rules earlier in life Compared to decades ago. This can increase the duration in which they are exposed to higher levels of estrogen – a hormone which, in some cases, can supply cancer cells. A Study last year I found an increase in the number of women aged 20 to 49 diagnosed with breast cancer that responded to estrogens.

A lot Women also delay childbirth to the thirties and quarantineThis increases the risk of postpartum breast cancer – cancers that occur within five to 10 years of delivery which seem to be linked to changes in the breasts during this period. Borges estimated that there are around 18,000 new cases of postpartum breast cancer each year.

“How do you get millions of women who have children without ending up with one of these breast cancers to 18,000 people who will get one of those breast cancers?” She said. “We are always working to understand this. Age is important. “