| Although many people believe that young women | | | | studies. The drug Tamoxifen is an example of |
| don't get breast cancer, the fact is they can | | | | a drug which affects post-menopausal women |
| and they do. One in every 229 women between | | | | differently than pre-menopausal women, so |
| the ages of 30 and 39 will be diagnosed with | | | | younger women who are prescribed this drug as |
| breast cancer within the next 10 years.The | | | | treatment need to do careful research on |
| statistics that surround younger women and | | | | their own to make sure that the benefits |
| breast cancer are frightening. Although | | | | outweigh the risks of the drug.An additional |
| only a small percentage of all new breast | | | | area of concern for younger women who have |
| cancer cases each year involve women aged 40 | | | | breast cancer include issues such as early |
| and younger, breast cancer is still the | | | | onset on menopause and fertility issues. |
| leading cause of death for women between the | | | | Many young women who are diagnosed with |
| ages of 15 and 54. The number of young women | | | | breast cancer have not yet begun a family. |
| diagnosed each year with breast cancer is | | | | One of the side effects of chemotherapy and |
| between 11-12,000. Close to 1400 of those | | | | or hormonal therapies can be irreversible |
| women will die each year. A lot of young | | | | menopause. Tamoxifen is a drug that can |
| women and their doctors do not realize that | | | | affect fertility, so again, younger women |
| they too are at risk for this disease.One of | | | | will need to research their choices carefully |
| the problems with detection of breast cancer | | | | if they plan to have children or start a |
| in younger women is that a mammogram is not | | | | family in the future. One of the newer |
| an effective screening tool for women under | | | | treatments for women with hormone receptive |
| 40. Younger women tend to have dense breast | | | | breast cancer has only been shown to be |
| tissue and that prevents tumors or areas of | | | | effective with post-menopausal women, so a |
| calcifications to be seen in the film. | | | | treatment option that younger women will have |
| Because of the lack of screening tools, | | | | to make in the future is if they want to take |
| younger women are often diagnosed at a later | | | | tamoxifen OR shut down or remove their |
| stage in the disease than their older | | | | ovaries to bring on early menopause to |
| counterparts. In addition, young women's | | | | benefit from a more effective treatment.The |
| cancers are generally more aggressive and | | | | final issue that young women with breast |
| have lower rates of survival. The survival | | | | cancer face is the isolation they sometimes |
| rate for 5 years is 83% for younger women - | | | | feel - brought about by being the youngest in |
| lower than the survival rate for | | | | their support group and having to deal with |
| post-menopausal women.Another issue that | | | | different issues than their older |
| impacts younger women who have breast cancer | | | | counterparts. One organization which helps |
| is that most research is done on breast | | | | provide a network for young breast cancer |
| cancer patients who are over the age of 40 or | | | | survivors is the Young Survival |
| post-menopausal. Younger women are an | | | | Coalition.Remember - no woman is too young to |
| underrepresented population in research | | | | have Breast Cancer. |