Young women and breast cancer is an important topic. And I think the most important thing to remember about it, in fact, is that it’s not very common. Although it’s very high-profile, the vast majority of breast cancer occurs in women beyond the age of 45 or 50.
Having said that, if you are a young woman, and you notice breast lumps, if you are a young woman, and you notice changes in your breasts, it is very important to have them investigated, because we know that this could be breast cancer. In addition, young women who get breast cancer often are part of a family where there is a hereditary breast cancer condition. Typically, that’s due to a gene mutation, and that’s often known about in those families, so people are already on the lookout for that particular problem. But if it’s not known about, and you are a young woman with breast cancer, it’s important to look at the rest of your family.
Dr Michael Boyer MBBS, FRACP, PhD
Michael has been a medical oncologist for more than 20 years, specialising in the treatment of thoracic and head and neck cancers. He continues to be actively involved in research, focusing on the testing of new anticancer drugs for the treatment of lung cancer.
