Study: Advanced breast cancer more common in younger women
A recent study shows the deadly disease is being seen more often in women ages 25 to 40. (February 27, 2013)
WOODBURY - A recent study shows an alarming increase in young women being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
Advanced breast cancer is typically found in women age 40 or older, but a study found younger women are being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer more often.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed women between the ages of 25 and 40 for more than 30 years. The results showed that in the mid 1970s, there were 250 advanced breast cancer patients in the U.S. That number took a huge jump to more than 800 cases four years ago.
The results do not explain a possible cause for the increase in cases.
Geri Barish, a three-time breast cancer survivor, urges younger women to take advantage of the many ways they can be screened. While routine mammograms are not recommended for women under the age of 40, Barish says there are other methods of screening. She says ultrasounds, MRI and tomography can all help younger women rule out the possibility of cancer.
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