Breast cancer in young women
Today as we head towards the third wave of the pandemic of this dreaded virus, let us talk for a minute about disease more fatal than has numbers increasing exponentially every year all around the world.
Gone are the day when breast cancer was thought to be the disease of elderly ladies of the western world.
With the present-day lifestyle, we are seeing more and more younger females being diagnosed with breast cancer and that too of aggressive variety. The cause is multifactorial— be it hormonal imbalances in form of early menarche, late marriages, and childbirth, indiscriminate use of over – the counter hormonal pills, or stressful lifestyle or dietary habits of processed food intake.
The key is to diagnose these cases at an early stage for a better long-term prognosis. Routine Self-breast examination starting as early as 25 years of age with routine screening mammogram in high-risk cases would aim at early diagnosis. It is necessary to be familiar with one’s normal breast feel to pick up early subtle changes.
There are a lot of socio-economic factors also important in young ladies with breast cancer. One of them is not completed their family and wishes to have a baby after the complete treatment. Fertility preservation options need to be made before the start of treatment.