Study: Spike in number of advanced breast cancer cases in young women
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SEATTLE -- The rate of advanced breast cancer in young women under age 40 is trending at a rapid rate.
That's the latest news from a Seattle doctor who is also a young breast cancer survivor.
Karen Kasonic is 38 and fighting stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic means it's already spread, often times in the bones, liver, brain or lungs.
"It is technically a death sentence," she said. "It's surprising how many of us there are."
This new study, which solely focused on metastatic breast cancers in women under age 40, shows the number of cases have more than tripled since the 1970s.
"It's a concerning trend, because we find that the biggest increases in the rate of metastatic breast cancer in the youngest women we studied -- 25 to 34 year old. And also we noted that the increase seems to accelerating over time," said Dr. Becky Johnson, an oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Johnson herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27.
Her study identified 250 cases each year of advanced breast cancer in the 1970s, but about 800 annual cases in more recent years.
"From a population standpoint, these are very low numbers. But from a research standpoint, this is a significant trend," she said.
And this is why Johnson says more research needs to be done to find the reasons.
"We've done a very good job at catching cancers early and women (are) surviving those. But once they have stage 4 cancer, we've done a terrible job at helping those women survive," she said.
Johnson's study was published in the Journal of the Medical Association.
That's the latest news from a Seattle doctor who is also a young breast cancer survivor.
Karen Kasonic is 38 and fighting stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic means it's already spread, often times in the bones, liver, brain or lungs.
"It is technically a death sentence," she said. "It's surprising how many of us there are."
This new study, which solely focused on metastatic breast cancers in women under age 40, shows the number of cases have more than tripled since the 1970s.
"It's a concerning trend, because we find that the biggest increases in the rate of metastatic breast cancer in the youngest women we studied -- 25 to 34 year old. And also we noted that the increase seems to accelerating over time," said Dr. Becky Johnson, an oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Johnson herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27.
Her study identified 250 cases each year of advanced breast cancer in the 1970s, but about 800 annual cases in more recent years.
"From a population standpoint, these are very low numbers. But from a research standpoint, this is a significant trend," she said.
And this is why Johnson says more research needs to be done to find the reasons.
"We've done a very good job at catching cancers early and women (are) surviving those. But once they have stage 4 cancer, we've done a terrible job at helping those women survive," she said.
Johnson's study was published in the Journal of the Medical Association.
The Young Survival Coalition whose mission it is to increase the quality and quantity of life for young women affected by breast cancer has don a good job of explaining what this research actually proved. Read it at http://www.youngsurvival.org/blog/?p=2455#comments
Women are graced with beauty, with part of the beauty being the breasts, they are admired by both men and women but like the article say it is a death sentence if a woman gets breast cancer. So sad on many levels, I wish we could find the cure for ALL cancers.
How about looking at phalates and BPA and all the other chemicals in our food that are endocrine disruptors? They have all increased significantly since 1970. Looks like a positive correlation to me.
I don't know what's driving the increase, but it seems logical that one reason younger women are being diagnosed later in their illness might be the tendency to feel breast cancer is an older woman's disease.  Although mammograms aren't recommended for most women under 40, younger women should still do regular self-exams and just maintain a general awareness of any changes in their breasts.  If you discover a lump or some other anomaly, don't write it off because you're "too young," have it checked!