Breast Cancer In Young Women: How The Medical Community Can Help
Paula Schneider is President and CEO of Susan G. Komen, one of the world's leading breast cancer organizations.
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We've celebrated incredible triumphs in the fight against breast cancer. Breakthroughs in technology, precision therapies and heightened awareness have undeniably transformed outcomes and saved countless lives. Yet, there's a growing trend that can't be ignored: a disturbing rise in breast cancer diagnoses among young women. In fact, for women between the ages of 20 and 49, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death.
Between 2012 and 2021, breast cancer incidence increased by 1.4% annually among women ages 20 to 49—a faster rise than in older age groups. Over 13,000 women 39 and under were diagnosed in 2024. Yet most people still associate breast cancer with women over 50. After all, the median age for a breast cancer diagnosis is 63, and screening guidelines for mammograms don't start until age 40. As a result, countless younger women don't realize they're high-risk and don't qualify for early screening, leading to later-stage diagnoses and lower survival rates.
Every population faces unique challenges when it comes to breast cancer, and young women are no exception. Cancers in younger patients are often more aggressive. Treatment may impact fertility or family planning, and navigating a complex healthcare system while managing careers, families and finances adds even more pressure. And for young women of color or those in underserved communities, barriers to care are often even greater.
We hear time and again from young women that when they approach their care teams with concerns about breast cancer, their concerns are brushed aside. It's our responsibility to rethink the status quo. Early detection saves lives—and that means starting with education and proactive conversations with young adult female patients as early as possible. The first step? Encourage them to dig into their family history. If there's a history of breast or ovarian cancer or a known BRCA gene mutation, individuals could benefit from genetic counseling and testing. These tools can provide powerful insight and guide decisions about screening and prevention.
Even without a known family history, helping them understand their personal risk matters. Tools like the IBIS tool can help providers assess an individual's risk of developing breast cancer based on key factors—age, race and ethnicity, menstrual history, reproductive history, family history and previous biopsies. These risk assessments allow doctors to recommend a personalized screening plan, which might include mammograms before age 40 or supplemental imaging such as breast MRIs. After all, personalized medicine is still the ideal future state of healthcare.
But it doesn't stop at risk. Young women need support navigating the unique emotional and physical toll of a diagnosis. They need answers, reassurance and someone in their corner. They need to know that it's okay to push for second opinions and to advocate for themselves to get the care they need. It's one reason why we're so committed to providing that same support at Susan G. Komen—whether through education, advocacy or our Patient Care Center.
While we're working to educate people about their risk for breast cancer, there is a clear need for more and better research on the causes and unique circumstances of breast cancer in young women. We need researchers studying the causes for this uptick in diagnoses and how to best detect and treat these breast cancers. We are funding several researchers investigating the causes and burden of breast cancer in young women, including one of our chief scientific advisors, but we need more funding and the support of the research community to truly help understand this phenomenon.
It's also important to recognize that not all young women have equal access to care. Many face systemic and financial hurdles—delays caused by insurance restrictions, lack of access to specialized care or limited availability of diagnostic imaging. Of course, this isn't limited to the younger population. In fact, despite all we've learned about breast cancer, today, only about 50% of women over 40 are getting their yearly mammograms. This is one reason awareness is still so important every October, even after all these years. It's also why we must continue to push for legislation that removes these barriers and makes screening and care accessible to everyone who needs it.
Breast cancer doesn't care how old we are. It doesn't wait for life to settle down or for science to catch up. And while we can't always prevent a diagnosis, we can prepare young women to take control of their health through honest conversations, understanding risk, providing more personalized care and demanding equity in access.
The rising rates of breast cancer among young women should serve as a wake-up call—not just for the medical community, but for all of us. Women deserve to be seen, heard and cared for, regardless of their age, race or zip code. Let's make sure they are.
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