Are You Too Young to Get Breast Cancer?

Sadly, breast cancer is not just a disease in older women.

Although the majority of breast cancers are diagnosed in women 50 and older, it can affect younger women, with about 9 percent of cases in the US found in women younger than 45. In Europe, women under 40 account for about 5 percent of all breast cancers.^1,2

In addition, a European study of breast cancers in women under 40 found the incidence increasing, although the researchers weren’t sure why.²

These cancers are more likely to be the result of mutations in genes known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 and more likely to be found at a later stage because most women under age 45 do not get regular screening mammograms. Younger women also tend to have more aggressive cancers and a higher risk of death from the disease.³

One other thing: younger women are more likely to have dense breasts, making it difficult for mammograms to pick up early cancers. And women with dense breasts have a higher risk of breast cancer to begin with.⁴

Interestingly, things that are protective against breast cancer in older women can actually increase the risk in younger women, including having more than one child, with up to 6 percent of all breast cancers in pre-menopausal women associated with pregnancy. In addition, while obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, it may be protective in younger women. High alcohol intake and radiation exposure prenatally or as a young child may also increase the risk of breast cancer more in younger women than older women.²

Cancer in young women is treated much the same as in older women, with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. One big difference, however, is preserving fertility. Thus, many premenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer opt to freeze their eggs or even undergo in-vitro fertilization and freeze the embryos so they can still have a child when they finish treatment.³ Younger women also have a higher risk of osteoporosis since part of breast cancer treatment is suppressing estrogen, which is important for bone growth. Some breast cancer treatments may also lead to early menopause.

If you have a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, talk to your doctor about genetic screening. Women who have genetic abnormalities related to breast cancer have options, including prophylactic mastectomy and regular screening with mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI.¹

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast Cancer in Young Women. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/young_women/bringyourbrave/breast_cancer_young_women/. Published 2021. Accessed March 27, 2022.

2. Leclère B, Molinié F, Trétarre B, Stracci F, Daubisse-Marliac L, Colonna M. Trends in incidence of breast cancer among women under 40 in seven European countries: a GRELL cooperative study. Cancer Epidemiol. 2013;37(5):544-549.

3. Ribnikar D, Ribeiro JM, Pinto D, et al. Breast cancer under age 40: a different approach. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2015;16(4):16.

4. Mann RM, Athanasiou A, Baltzer PAT, et al. Breast cancer screening in women with extremely dense breasts recommendations of the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI). Eur Radiol. 2022.