What does being a young woman mean?
In relation to treatment, the breast cancer world generally refers to pre-menopausal women as 'young', as the treatment options can be different according to menopausal status.
"My breast cancer diagnosis came out of the blue, it was a real shock. A young woman in her 20s or 30s is not thinking about dying. Breast cancer forced me to examine the issue of my mortality. At the time I would have preferred to be making decisions like 'what movie will I see?' " -- Laura
The most recent statistics about the ages of women diagnosed with breast cancer are from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Breast Cancer in Australia: an Overview, 2012, and relate to 2008 data (it takes some time to collate and analyse the data).
| Age group (years) | Number of Australian women diagnosed | % of all women diagnosed * |
| Younger than 20 | 1 | Less than 1 |
| 21 to 29 | 65 | Less than 1 |
| 30 to 39 | 705 | 5.2 |
| 40 to 49 | 2,437 | 18 |
| 50 + | 10,359 | 76.4 |
* Total number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 was 13,567. Only 1 woman under the age of 20 was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, which is less than one per cent of all diagnoses.
Many people think that there has been an increase in the numbers of young women diagnosed with breast cancer (possibly due to extensive media coverage of high profile young women with breast cancer over recent years).
However statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that the numbers of women under the age of 40 diagnosed with breast cancer have remained between 11 and 13 per 100,000 women, for the last 27 years*.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare& National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre 2012. Cat. no. CAN 67.
Key issues
Young and pregnant
Although the incidence of breast cancer during pregnancy is rare, it can happen. Treatment options may be different. Radiotherapy is often not recommended due to the risk to the unborn baby, so some women choose to have a mastectomy instead of breast conservation surgery. If chemotherapy is required, some women choose to wait until after the birth of their child, however recent studies have shown that babies of women who undergo chemotherapy while pregnant are at no greater risk of complications compared with other babies.
Fertility
The impact of chemotherapy and hormone therapy may reduce a woman’s fertility and chance of having children in the future. There are a number of factors which contribute to this issue, including a woman’s age, and the type of treatment she has and how it affects her ovaries. There are a number of methods for preserving fertility, which may or may not be applicable to your situation. If you are planning to become pregnant in the future, or even if you haven't given children much thought, it's best to consider some of these options before you start treatment. These include mature egg freezing, embryo freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, medications and using a donor egg.
Fertility-related Choices: A Decision Aid for Younger Women with Early Breast Cancer is a free booklet for young women who have recently been diagnosed with early breast cancer.
This booklet contains information about cancer treatment, how it can affect fertility, and fertility options to consider. There are also some worksheets to help you think about these issues. You can download a copy from our fact sheets and booklets page, or order a free hard copy through our online store or by phoning BCNA on 1800 500 258.
Early menopause
Some chemotherapy and hormonal therapies can reduce the level of oestrogen produced in the ovaries, causing your periods to stop temporarily or can bring about permanent early menopause. This generally depends on your age and the medications you are given, but if you have not yet reached menopause, you should discuss this with your doctor before treatment. Early menopause can bring with it uncomfortable side effects, such as hot flushes or vaginal dryness. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage these side effects.
BCNA’s Menopause and breast cancer booklet explains why some treatments, including chemotherapy and hormone therapies, may cause menopause or mimic menopausal symptoms. The booklet includes plenty of tips for managing symptoms, and was developed in consultation with women with breast cancer and health professionals.
You can download a copy from our fact sheets and booklets page, or order a free hard copy through our online store or by phoning BCNA on 1800 500 258.
Clinical trials for young women
To see what clinical trials are being run for young women diagnosed with breast cancer, visit the Australian Cancer Trials website.
More information
- If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you can order a copy of My Journey Kit, our free comprehensive resource for newly diagnosed women.
- Fertility-related Choices: A Decision Aid for Younger Women with Early Breast Cancer provides information on breast cancer and fertility. Download a copy from our factsheets and booklets page, or call 1800 500 258 and we will post you a free copy.
- BCNA’s Menopause and breast cancer booklet aims to help women manage the symptoms of menopause that result from breast cancer treatment. Download a copy from our factsheets and booklets page, or call 1800 500 258 and we will post you a free copy.
- Join BCNA's online network to connect and share with other women in a similar situation.
- The personal stories section includes stories written by young women with breast cancer.
- The Beacon Issue 41 focuses on issues faced by young women. Download a copy by visiting our Beacon magazine archive page.
- The report from the Up Close and Personal 2 Conference discusses issues faced specifically by young women with breast cancer.
- The report from the 2nd National Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer discusses issues raised at this conference held in Queensland in September 2010.
Publications
- Breast Cancer and early menopause: A guide for younger women is an information booklet produced by Cancer Australia, and is available to download from their website.
- Breast Cancer in Younger Women is a fact sheet produced by The Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, and is available for download from their website.
Websites
- Join BCNA's online network to connect and share with other women in a similar situation.
- Young Survival Coalition is an international organisation dedicated to the concerns and issues that are unique to young women with breast cancer and includes a bulletin board for support.
- Sharsheret is a USA-based organisation of cancer survivors dedicated to addressing the unique challenges facing young Jewish women living with breast cancer.
- The US-based Hope for two website provides information and support to women diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant.
- The US-based Fertile Hope website provides information about fertility risks, parenthood options, and pregnancy after breast cancer
Support groups
- Young Pink Sisters is a group on BCNA’s online network, which links together young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
- To find a support group in your area, visit BCNA’s Local Services Directory.
