Stay Alert: Breast Cancer Cases Increasing in Young Women

No family history needed

The rate of breast cancer in young American women aged 25 to 39 is increasing, according to a new study. Advanced cases climbed from 1.53 per 100,000 women in 1976 to 2.9 per 100,000 younger women in 2009. But experts do not know what may have caused the apparent increase. Rebecca Johnson, author of the study, hypothesized that the trend was due to a variety of lifestyle changes that have occurred during the study period including diet, exercise, obesity, earlier onset of menstruation, use of birth control, delayed pregnancy and other factors all might play a role. But for now the only advice the researchers can offer to young women is to see a doctor quickly if they notice lumps, pain or other changes in the breast, and not to assume that they cannot have breast cancer because they are young and healthy, or have no family history of the disease. (LA Times)

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