Juvenile Breast Cancer in Teenagers

Each year, approximately 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the United States. Because more than 90% of these cases are found in women over the age of 40, unless they have a strong family history of the disease most younger women probably do not spend a lot of time worrying about breast cancer, even though they have undoubtedly heard much about it. In reality, this is mostly a good thing, as it makes sense for people to be more concerned about health conditions that are likely to strike members of their age group.

Nevertheless, a general awareness about breast cancer is important for women of all ages because while the threat for women in younger age groups is not high, it is also not non-existent. More than 10,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women under the age of 40 in the US each year, and the earlier these cancers are detected the better the overall prognosis. This is always true with breast cancer, of course, but it is especially true with younger women, since the cancers they get tend to be of the more aggressive and invasive type. Even though they may be aware that breast cancer presents a risk to all women, however, it never occurs to most people that even adolescent girls can occasionally be diagnosed with this disease. Not surprisingly, this demographic group has by far the lowest breast cancer rates among women. But for the teenagers and their families who have actually received this stunning diagnosis after visiting their doctors, the percentages are irrelevant to the reality they have been suddenly forced to live.

Searching for Answers
Girls going through puberty and adolescence experience many hormonal changes in their bodies as they mature. While the amount of breast tissue they develop during this time is small, cancer is capable of manifesting in any area of the body where cell division and growth is occurring. A strong family history of the disease, especially in first degree relatives such as a mother or sister, often indicate that genetic mutations are present that can predispose even very young women to breast cancer. It would be a mistake to overrate the strength of this risk factor, however – very, very few teens are ever diagnosed with breast cancer, regardless of their family history. There is no clear answer as to why a very small number of teenage girls develop breast cancer, and this is especially true when cancer is diagnosed in young women who appear to have no known risk factors for the disease.

Some concerns have been raised about the exposure of women to certain kinds of chemical pollutants that may mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. This female hormone has a well-established connection to breast cancer, based on the fact that cancerous cells in the breast area frequently have the capability of using estrogen as a source of nourishment and sustenance. In this post-industrial age, there are several kinds of pollutants in the environment with chemical signatures that are quite similar to estrogen. Some cancer experts have theorized that these chemicals could be a hidden cause of breast cancer in younger women in particular, whose rapidly-changing bodies may be vulnerable to the effects of these substances. At the present time, real scientific data to support the idea is scarce, but researchers have really only just begun the process of exploring the connection between environmental contaminants and the development of breast cancer.