PSA

This morning, I learned that a college classmate and friend—a young, vibrant, 27-year-old SHC Badger, class of 2004—passed away from breast cancer.  She had been battling the disease for nearly 2 years, but by the time she and her doctors realized that she had breast cancer, it was so far advanced that the odds were stacked against her.  Khrysten Encalarde lost her battle with breast cancer because too many people believe that screening and detection doesn't need to happen until a woman is 40, the age when the majority of women begin having mammograms.  For that matter, many insurance policies won't cover a mammogram until a woman is 40 years old.  But evidence shows that young women are at as much risk as their older counterparts, and in fact, may be at more of a risk because of the lack of detection techniques.

Despite the prevailing opinion that young women don't get breast cancer, the reality is that they can and they do. In fact, one in every 229 women between the ages of 30 and 39 will be diagnosed with breast cancer within the next 10 years. Following are some additional startling facts about breast cancer in young women:

• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in young women ages 15-54.
• More than 11,100 women under age 40 will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 1,100 will die.
• There are more than 250,000 women living in the United States today who were age 40 or under when they were diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Young women's cancers are generally more aggressive and result in lower survival rates.
• The five-year survival rate for young women with breast cancer is 82 percent, which is lower than their post-menopausal counterparts.

Young women CAN and DO get breast cancer. While breast cancer in young women accounts for a small percentage of all breast cancer cases, the impact of this disease is widespread: There are more than 250,000 women 40 and under in the U.S. living with breast cancer, and over 11,100 young women will be diagnosed in the next year. But, despite the fact that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54:

• Many young women and their doctors are unaware that they are at risk for breast cancer.
• There is no effective breast cancer screening tool for women 40 and under.
• Young women are often diagnosed at a later stage than their older counterparts.
• There is very little research or educational material focused on issues unique to this younger population, such as fertility, pregnancy, genetic predisposition, the impact of hormonal status on the effectiveness of treatment, psycho-social and long-term survivorship issues, and higher mortality rates for young women, particularly for African-Americans and Latinas.
• Young women diagnosed with breast cancer often feel isolated and have little contact with peers who can relate to what they are experiencing.
• As the incidence of young women with breast cancer is much lower than in older women, young women are underrepresented in many research studies.

I write to you because it is vitally important that women know their bodies and know their risk factors.  Make it a point to do a self-exam every month.  It is important that you choose the same time each month, as your breast tissue changes throughout the month.   If you're not already in the habit, make it a point to start this month.  The best defense you have is early detection.

Breast Self-Exam