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During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Aspirus Health Care experts are warning that more women in their 20s, 30s and 40s are being diagnosed with breast cancer, reflecting a national trend that researchers are working to better understand.
While breast cancer remains most common among older women, studies show rates are increasing among younger women, particularly those younger than 50.
Researchers believe the trend is likely linked to several factors rather than a single cause, according to an Aspirus news release. Dr. Andrew Huang, radiation oncologist for Aspirus Cancer Care and senior principal investigator of the Aspirus Oncology Research Institute, points to rising obesity rates and changes in reproductive patterns as being among the leading contributors.
"Childhood obesity can trigger early puberty, which then also increases the risk of breast cancer. The important thing is that women understand their risk factors and talk with their health care provider if they have concerns," Huang said in the news release.
Obesity is one important factor being studied, Huang said. Fat tissue produces estrogen, which can fuel growth of many breast cancers. He also noted women today are often having children later in life, having fewer children and breastfeeding for shorter periods of time. Research has shown that childbirth and breastfeeding can have a protective effect against breast cancer.
National experts also pointed to additional factors that may contribute to the rise in breast cancer among younger women, including increased alcohol consumption, environmental exposures and disruptions to normal sleep patterns from shift work. While researchers continue to investigate the causes, experts agree the increase is likely the result of multiple lifestyle, environmental and biological factors acting together rather than a single explanation.
Importantly, Huang said the increase in diagnoses is not necessarily being driven by a rise in the most aggressive inherited forms of breast cancer. The prevalence of mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 has remained relatively stable over time. Instead, much of the increase is occurring in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, which respond to hormonal signals such as estrogen.
Family history remains an important part of understanding breast cancer risk. Women with multiple relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly at younger ages, should discuss their family history with a health care provider. Genetic testing has become more widely available and affordable and can help identify inherited mutations associated with increased cancer risk.
But Huang encourages younger women to report breast changes to their health care provider rather than assume they are too young to develop breast cancer.
For many women, breast cancer screening can begin as early as age 40, depending on individual risk factors and family history. Mammograms, ultrasound and, when appropriate, biopsies can help identify problems early, when treatment is often most effective.
Despite rising incidence rates, outcomes for breast cancer patients continue to improve. Advances in surgery, radiation therapy and drug treatments have resulted in higher cure rates and fewer treatment-related side effects than were common just a few decades ago, according to Aspirus.
For more information about breast cancer screening, risk factors and cancer care services, go online to aspirus.org/breast-care-mammography. Other area healthcare providers have similar information on their websites as well.