Breast cancer can affect young women: Screening doesn't always help, try these 4 guidelines

By Dr Dinesh M G

Breast cancer can affect at any age. Hence, cancer screening even at early age is essential. Usually, younger women assume they can't be at the risk of breast cancer, and tend to ignore the symptoms.

There are several factors that can put young women at high risk of breast cancer:


1. Family history of breast cancer, particularly in a mother, daughter, or sister
2. Women who carry genetic defects are also at great risk
3. History of radiation therapy

Breast cancer is one of the few cancers, when detected early and treated appropriately, can be completely cured. Normal life after breast cancer treatment is possible, but the pre-requisite is early detection. When detected early, the treatment becomes simpler, shorter and cheaper.

Screening mammography is considered to be the most recommended way to detect breast cancer. However, when it comes to screening cancer in younger women, this method is not considered to be the best option.

Breast cancer in women
For the early detection of breast cancer, women under 40 should avoid regular mammograms because the breast tissue tends to be denser in the younger crowd, making mammograms less effective as a screening tool. Screening mammograms is only recommended to younger women with a family history of breast and other cancer risks.

Breast cancer in men
Breast cancer in men is rare, but this is the potential cause of neglecting the symptoms. When it come to breast cancer awareness, more priority is given to women than men due to the high risk found among women.

Mostly, male breast cancer is detected between the ages of 60-70. The disease can occur due to radiation exposure, family history of breast cancer, genetic mutation, and/or having high estrogen levels. Early detection can be achieved in men with MRI or ultrasound.

Medical experts suggest certain guidelines to detect this disease early:

1. Doctors recommend monthly self-breast examination (SBE) and annual clinical examination for women under 20. It has to be done on the seventh day of periods. However, women who have achieved menopause or have undergone hysterectomy or have irregular periods need to consult the doctor before booking the appointment date.

2. Younger women generally have dense breast tissue making mammogram interpretation challenging. Hence, other modalities are still being explored. Contrast enhanced MRI is highly sensitive (99% when combined with mammography) can lead to malignant changes.

3. During self-examination, if the person finds a breast lump or an unusual discharge from nipples, don't ignore the symptom and visit the doctor. It is essential to seek help immediately, but all lumps, skin changes or nipple changes do not necessarily mean cancer. It is essential to approach the right specialist (breast oncologist) to detect the right symptoms.

4. Nowadays, new methods are experimented to detect breast cancer among younger women. One of the methods are iBreast Exam (iBE). This instrument is a hand held pre-screening device that can be used in resource constraint area, and women with suspicious features can further undergo mammogram. iBE is based on piezoelectric detector, which can be effectively used by non clinician with a sensitivity of 60%.

(The author is Consultant Surgical Oncologist, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru)

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