Doctors report seeing more young women diagnosed with breast cancer
WOOD-RIDGE, N.J. -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors are especially hoping to raise awareness in young women.
A recent study found that more young women are developing breast cancer.
Rachel Bogard was just 31 years old when she found out she had breast cancer.
"I was pregnant, early on in my second trimester, and I started to feel a lump in my left breast," she said.
That was December 2022. Bogard was stunned, but knowing that cancer spreads fast, she acted even faster.
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"So I did four rounds of chemo while pregnant, which was really scary ... I had an induction at 35 weeks. And then a week after I gave birth, I went back on chemo for twelve more rounds. And then after that I had a double mastectomy," Bogard said.
Doctors are seeing more and more young women diagnosed with breast cancer. One recent study showed an 8% increase in breast cancer rates for women under 50 from 2010-2019.
Doctors say there's a variety of factors behind the alarming jump.
"As obesity goes up, actually, the level of hormones can go up in women and that can drive estrogen-responsive cancers. Rates of smoking and drinking and vaping are going up. That causes genetic damage that also can predispose young women to, you know, cancers," said Dr. Leah Katz, a radiation oncologist at New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital.
Stress and other factors are also at play.
Doctors say all women should start having an annual mammogram by age 40, but, they say, women should talk to their doctors about getting a risk assessment by age 25.
"If they're at average risk, then they would be eligible at age 40 for a mammogram. But if they're at high risk, and if their estimated lifetime risk is elevated, they may be eligible to enter screening sooner," said Dr. Gail Starr, a radiologist at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Bogard says women of all ages need to advocate for themselves.
"You know your own body best. So I think it's really important to speak up to doctors if you're feeling something off or just different from your baseline," she said.
Bogard is now the mother of a happy, healthy 7-month-old boy. She's also cancer-free.
