Managing breast cancer in younger women: challenges and solutions

Abstract

Breast cancer in young women is relatively rare compared to breast cancer occurring in older women. Younger women diagnosed with breast cancer also tend to have a more aggressive biology and consequently a poorer prognosis than older women. In addition, they face unique challenges such as diminished fertility from premature ovarian failure, extended survivorship periods and its attendant problems, and the psychosocial impact of diagnosis, while still raising families. It is therefore imperative to recognize the unique issues that younger women face, and plan management in a multidisciplinary fashion to optimize clinical outcomes. This paper discusses the challenges of breast cancer management for young women, as well as specific issues to consider in diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of such patients.

Keywords:

• breast cancer
• young women
• diagnosis
• treatment

Acknowledgments

This publication was made possible by Grant Number 1K12CA167540 through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and Grant Number UL1 TR000448 through the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program of the National Cancer for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the NIH. Its contents, however, are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the NCI, NCATS, or NIH.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.