The Effects of Breast Cancer on Younger Women

Introduction

The breast is the most frequent cancer site in women worldwide, predominantly in the industrialised countries (Western Europe, North America). Young women usually do not believe themselves to be at risk for Breast Cancer. Just under 7 percent of all breast cancer cases happen in women under 40 yrs old. Though, breast cancer can hit at any age, and women of every age must be aware of their personal risk factors for breast cancer. The incidence is increasing in all countries, in Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Oceania, although the increase is more pronounced in industrialised countries. However, a reversal of the incidence trend has been observed in the United States since the early 2000s in women over 45—or over 50 In France, the incidence of breast cancer has been increasing continuously since the late 1970s8 by 2.4% per year between 1978 and 2000(Altheas,Dozier,Devise,405-412). Health professionals in France have expressed a concern about a possible increase in the frequency of breast cancer among young women.

Discussion

There are few publications specifically addressing this age group. Recently, after similar concerns had been expressed by clinicians, a study carried out in the canton of Geneva observed an annual increase of 46.7% (95% CI: 7.1-100.8) in the incidence of breast cancer between 2002 and 2004 for women aged 25-39. This observation was not confirmed by another study analysing data from the Vaud and Neuchatel cancer registries in Switzerland.

Our aim was to describe the trend in the incidence of breast cancer in young women under 40 in France using the data from seven cancer registries (3277 cases between 1983 and 2002 recorded by these seven registries), and to compare it with that observed in older women.

Materials and methods

The incidence of invasive breast cancer tumours recorded in seven French départements (Calvados, Doubs, Hérault, Isère, Bas-Rhin, Somme and Tarn) for the period 1983-2002 was analysed, focusing on women under 40, who represent a total of 3277 cases out of the 53,128 cases in patients aged 15 and over at the time of diagnosis.

Annual percentage changes over the period 1983-2002 were estimated separately in four age groups: 15-39 ( young women) , 40-49 ( women just below the age of invitation to organised screening in France), 50-74 ( women invited to organised screening), and 75 and over ( women beyond the age of organised screening). The changes were estimated using Poisson regression on data aggregated by annual age and year. In each age group, the model included a linear time trend and a polynomial function of age. The linearity of the time trend was tested by adding a polynomial function of time(Tarone,588-590). In order to provide a global visualisation of the trends in breast cancer incidence, a graphical approach reporting the observed 5-year age-specific incidence by birth cohort is also presented.

Results

The incidence rates increased in all age groups, but to different extents. The smallest increases were found in women under 50, and more specifically in women fewer than ...