Causes of Breast Cancer in Young Women

Young life is so free and desperate that a serious disease like breast cancer does not really crop up in your mind. However, the reality is something else. Breast cancer in young women is a serious issue and it needs to be addressed at the earliest. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among young women between the age group of 15 to 54. Although, young are not too much affected by it, yet factors such as genetics can pose as a serious threat.
Let us first take a look at the risk factors for breast cancer in young women.

Risk Factors

There is more than one factor for a young woman to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

* As mentioned earlier, women with a family history of breast cancer are likely to conceive it.
* Young women, who smoke, drink more than a glass of alcohol per day and those who are obese also have the same risk.
* Estrogens are associated with risk factors, so early menstruation, age at first pregnancy, late menopause and birth control pills are all risk factors. Hence, a Gail index scores of at least 1.7%.
* Genetic mutations too increase both risk and prognosis.

Exposure to Radiation

It has been found that a history of radiation therapy can pose as a threat factor for breast cancer. For example, young women who have Hodgkin’s lymphoma get radiation therapy, and this can increase the risk of breast cancer. Also one must keep in mind that the risk varies in accordance to the age and the dosage of radiation given during treatment.

It is important to know that because young women have denser breast tissues than older ones, mammography or the x-ay for breast cancer becomes less effective. It is essential that young women with a history of breast cancer in the family take mammography test and hope for the best. Experts believe that the low risk of developing breast cancer at a young age does not justify the radiation exposure or the cost of mammography. Here it is also important to understand the symptoms and signs of breast cancer so that one may recognize the threat.

The treatment for breast cancer depends on the extent of the person’s disease and the general health. Breast cancer treatment brings other challenges for women, such as sexuality, pregnancy and fertility.

Researchers have not yet been able to identify exactly what it is about weight gain that increases breast cancer risk, and studies are underway to determine the causes.