Breast Cancer: A Doctor Sends a Wakeup Call to Canadian Women Under Age 50

The risk of death from breast cancer has decreased steadily since 1989 representing an “overall” decline of 42% through the year 2021 according to an article recently published in Science Daily. For years most public health efforts have focused, successfully, on women over 50 and the need for annual mammograms. But when the numbers are grouped according to age, the results appear to contradict the lower estimates.

According to results of a new University of Ottawa study of women under 50 years of age, the numbers have veered in the opposite direction. The 35-year study, led by Dr. Jean Seely, indicated that there has been an increase in the number of breast cancers beginning with women 20 years of age through 50 years of age.

The focus of the Ottawa-based analysis was to shed some light on detecting Canadian breast cancer trends. Dr. Seely, a professor at Ottawa Hospital’s radiology department, termed the higher incidents of young women being diagnosed with breast cancer as an “alarming rate.”

Dr. Seely said that she was even more surprised at the rapid rate of the increase. It has been proven that early detection is critical in the reduction of breast cancer deaths. Therefore, researchers are stressing the need for an immediate change in health policies. Until the age of 50, women are not screened regularly for breast cancer.

Analyzing the Risk

The researchers used data from NCIRS (1984-1991) as well as the Cancer Registry of Canada (1992-2019) at Statistics Canada pertaining to women within the ages of 20 to 54 who received a breast cancer diagnosis between:

• 1984 through 1988 for 20-plus women, compared to 2015 through 2019 representing an increase of 45.5%.
• 1984 through 1988 for 30-plus women, compared to 2015 through 2019 representing an increase of 12.5%.
• 1984 through 1988 for 40-plus women, compared to 2015 through 2019 representing an increase of 9.1%.

The study results prove that screening and breast cancer awareness programs are urgently needed. Young women are at risk. They would benefit substantially from frequent screenings.

Chelsea Bland’s Personal Experience

When Chelsea learned of a death of a 33-year-old that was caused by breast cancer, Chelsea, who was 28 at the time, decided to conduct a self-examination. She found a lump which led to screenings and a diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment.
Chelsea has been free of cancer for two years but is still on hormone therapy. She became motivated to join others in establishing a peer group that gives support to younger women with ages ranging from 28 through age 40.

Chelsea hopes that her group can bring awareness to Dr. Seely’s study and understand that if a woman is under age 50 she is still at risk. She says that a common complaint among her support group peers is that young women are not taken seriously when they find a lump. That is due to being told that they are too young to have breast cancer.

Understanding the Root Cause

Investigators are asking for more research to get at the cause of rising breast cancer rates. Dr. Seely is promoting an increased awareness and especially early detection for women in their 40s.

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Last modified: May 22, 2024