A Glimmer of Hope, the Symbol of the Cure Foundation's, mission is to create a specialized center that will direct testing, treatment and support for women that are pre-menopausal and dealing with this devastating disease.
We believe this center is imperative to give these women every advantage in treating breast cancer, especially within this most fragile population.
Please review the information below, and if we, at a Glimmer of Hope, can be of any assistance with acquiring a mammogram or recommending a physician that specializes in pre-menopausal breast cancer, please call us at 800-454-6746.
Diagnosing breast cancer in younger women (under 40 years old) is more difficult because their breast tissue is generally denser than the breast tissue in older women. By the time a lump in a younger woman’s breast can be felt, the cancer often is advanced.
In addition, breast cancer in younger women may be aggressive and less likely to respond to treatment. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age are more likely to have a mutated (altered) BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
Delays in diagnosing breast cancer also are a problem. Many younger women who have breast cancer ignore the warning signs -- such as a breast lump or unusual discharge -- because they believe they are too young to get breast cancer.
Many women assume they are too young to get breast cancer and tend to assume a lump is a harmless cyst or other growth. Some health care providers also dismiss breast lumps in young women as cysts and adopt a "wait and see" approach.
STATISTICS
Despite the prevailing opinion that young women don't get breast cancer, the reality is that they can and they do. In fact, breast cancer accounts for 26% of all cancer in females 15-39 years of age and 39% of all cancer in 35-39 year olds. Following are some startling facts about breast cancer in young women:
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in young women ages 15-54.
In 2008, the American Cancer Society projected 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in females; it is estimated that 10,000 of these women were under 40 years of age, and nearly 23,000 under 45 years of age.
There are more than 250,000 women living in the United States today who were age 40 or under when they were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Young women's cancers are generally more aggressive and result in lower survival rates.
Increasingly, evidence suggests that breast cancer before age 40 is biologically different from the majority of breast cancer that occurs in older women. Women younger than 25 may have a third type of biologically distinct breast cancer.
There is no effective breast cancer screening tool for women 40 and under. Young women with breast cancer struggle with many issues that their post-menopausal counterparts don't face, including: the possibility of early menopause, fertility, pregnancy after diagnosis, body image, financial stability, generally more advanced cancers
at diagnosis, and higher mortality rates.
As the incidence of young women with breast cancer is much lower than in older women, young women are an underrepresented population in many research studies.
Numbers in Western Pennsylvania for breast cancer in younger women are higher than the rest of the country. Therefore, if women in this area are aware that the risks
are higher, breast cancer checks through self exam are extremely important. If changes in the breast are recognized, contact your doctor. Advocate for yourself.
If you are interested in supporting this specific project or would like to host an event, discuss options that could make this program more successful, please contact the Foundation at 800-454-6746, info@symbolofthecure.com
Together we have made more than a difference, we have changed lives. Thank you for your continued support.
