Breast cancer in women under 40 is particularly difficult



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By: Ivanhoe Newswire
October 2, 2018

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – In the United States, 31 million women with a history of breast cancer. Of these women, 250,000 were diagnosed while under 40 years old.

Family history and age is the most important risk factor for breast cancer.

"The main demographic group for women with breast cancer is usually 50 to 70 years old," Thomas Samuel, MD, a breast oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Florida, told Ivanhoe.

Nevertheless, 1,000 women under 40 die each year from breast cancer and there is no effective breast cancer screening tool for women under 40 years of age. Mammograms are not an effective screening tool for women under 40 because the breast tissue is too dense.

Experts recommend that women age 20 and older perform a monthly breast self-examination the day after the end of their period.

"We also recommend that women attend breast health examinations every year at approximately the age of 25. It's usually a primary care physician or a gynecologist who does it, "continued Dr. Samuel.

Breast cancer in young women tends to show up at an advanced stage and to be more aggressive. Younger women also have a higher mortality rate for breast cancer and the risk of metastatic recurrence is higher.

Breast cancer is more prevalent among the elderly, but it is not impossible in younger women.

Breast cancer is also the most common form of cancer in pregnant women or women who have just given birth. About 30% of breast cancers in young women occur a few years after the child.

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