Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers found in women and deserves a lot more attention and awareness to help reduce the risk of its development. According to the World Health Organization, by the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years. During breast cancer awareness month, we’d like to dig deeper into who’s at risk of breast cancer and at what age a woman can develop breast cancer:
What age do women develop breast cancer?
Via: Medical News Today – Breast cancer in teens
Age plays a huge role when it comes to breast cancer. In fact, most women who are at risk of breast cancer are 50+. However, that doesn’t mean that younger women cannot develop breast cancer. Breast cancer is extremely rare in teenagers to an extent that there is barely enough statistics or data on breast cancer in teenagers.
While changes in breasts during puberty are regular, sometimes it can be as a result of breast cancer. The odds of developing breast cancer in young adults is very low with less than 5% of breast cancers found in women under 40. Even at the age of 30, the risk of breast cancer is as low as 0.44%. While it is very unlikely, it is still important to perform a regular breast self exam on a monthly basis once you turn 30 to monitor any changes or abnormalities in the breast.
The following reasons can increase your risks of developing breast cancer at a young age:
- Family history of breast cancer, especially in a mother or sister.
- Radiation treatment to the chest before the age of 40
- Genetic defect such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
- Getting your period at an early age, before the age of 12.
- Having dense breasts
If you check any of the boxes above, be sure to get a regular breast screening, undergo self breast exam, stay healthy, and try to prevent your risk of developing breast cancer with exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
Further reading:
- How to Do a Breast Self-Exam at Home
- 9 Things You Can Do to Support a Loved One With Breast Cancer
- 3 Cairo Centers Offering Free Breast Cancer Screening
Sources used in this article:
- Everything you should know about breast cancer in your 20s and 30s – Healthline
- What are the risk factors of breast cancer? – CDC
- Breast cancer – WHO
- What you should know about breast cancer in teens – Medical News Today
- Breast cancer in young women – Web MD
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