Advanced Breast Cancer in Young Women More Common

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that advanced breast cancer is showing up more frequently in younger women between the ages of 25 and 39. Over 30 years ago, roughly 1.5 young women in 100,000 were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Three decades later, that rate had almost doubled to 2.9 women per 100,000.
Although this is still a very low incidence, the increase is worrisome. It parallels data from Switzerland which also showed an increased risk of advanced breast cancer among women in this age group. The investigators offered no explanation for the increase and suggested that there are probably a number of factors that may explain the rise in estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers.
[JAMA, Feb. 27, 2013]
You can learn more about some of the factors that affect breast health in our interview with Florence Williams, author of Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History.