What Age Is ‘Young’ For a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?

More women under 50 are being diagnosed with breast cancer. You’re never too young to understand your risks.

When I was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer, I was 49 years old. That was within the realm of higher-risk ages – after all, many guidelines recommend that most women start regular mammograms at age 40. The risk increases as you age, and women 65 or older have as much as a four times higher risk of the disease. Honestly, 49 years of age felt on the young side for such a diagnosis.

In fact, many people who learned about my diagnosis commented on how young I was to have breast cancer. I didn’t feel too young, but I did feel fortunate that I was young enough to be in good physical condition and able to recover quickly from my outpatient lumpectomy at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System.

Screening techniques have advanced recently. My cancer, which was very small, was discovered very early during an annual 3D tomosynthesis mammogram and ultrasound screening (I always have both done because I have dense breasts).

A decade of rising breast cancer diagnosis rates

While I will never know the answer to why I was so fortunate, I am certainly not alone in my “young” diagnosis. This month, the American Cancer Society released its 2024-2025 Breast Cancer Facts & Figures report, and it shows that more younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer. The number of women under 50 diagnosed with breast cancer rose by 14% from 2012 to 2021. Diagnoses increased in women over 50, too, but only by 0.7% per year. The American Cancer Society theorized that at least some of this increase is due to more women having two risk factors: increased body weight and delaying or foregoing childbirth.

That doesn’t mean that younger women are suddenly at high risk for breast cancer. It’s true that breast and prostate cancer are the cancers a person in the U.S. is most likely to develop at any age; both are considered reproductive cancers. However, a U.S. woman under 50 still has only a 2.1% chance of developing breast cancer.

Talk to your health care provider – no matter how young you are

Despite the low risk a woman under 50 has of developing breast cancer, the American Cancer Society predicts that this year, 16% of new invasive breast cancer diagnoses will be among women younger than 50.

That’s why every woman should talk with her health care provider about her personal breast cancer risk and what her screening plan should be. “We are encouraging all women to have an idea of what their risks are, starting as early as 25,” says Monica M. Yepes, M.D., Sylvester’s associate director of breast imaging and a professor of radiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

When you talk with your health care provider, prepare to answer a series of questions about your personal and family history. That will guide your screening plan.

Understand average vs. high risk

It’s worth understanding what it means to be at increased risk for developing breast cancer. The average woman has a 13.1% risk of developing invasive breast cancer at some point during her life (according to the American Cancer Society). Guidelines indicate that most women at average risk should begin getting screening mammograms as early as age 40. If you have dense breasts, you may need an ultrasound along with your mammogram.

Various factors – such as the presence of certain genes, a family history of reproductive cancers or radiation treatment to the chest – can also raise your breast cancer risk. A woman with more than a 20% lifetime risk of breast cancer is considered to have above-average risk. “She should start with some type of screening imaging as early as age 25,” Dr. Yepes says. “If there is a genetic mutation, she should begin with an MRI. If MRI is not possible, then ultrasound.” She notes that some women may need to have a combination of MRIs and mammograms “depending on factors by the radiologist.”

Keep in mind, though, that most women who develop breast cancer have no known genetic, family history or personal history risk factors. That was my situation; my dense breasts and the fact that I’d never given birth or breastfed moderately raised my risk of breast cancer. But I was nowhere near high risk.

For most women who are at average risk, Sylvester recommends you begin screening mammograms at age 40 and have them every year.

Follow your screening plan

Of course, the best screening plan in the world won’t work if it’s not followed. The American Cancer Society data shows that too few younger women are getting their annual mammogram: In 2021 (the most current data available), only 52% of women ages 40 to 44 had gotten a mammogram within the past two years. Honestly, too few women of all ages are getting that important screening: Only around 67% of all women aged 40 and older had a screening within the past two years.

So, I’ll say it again: Talk to your health care provider about what your screening plan should be. And then follow the plan.

Rochelle Broder-Singer is a journalist with over two decades of experience in journalism and communications. In addition to her professional achievements, Rochelle is currently writing a series of articles for Sylvester to share her personal experiences as a breast cancer survivor.

Tags: Monica Yepes, national cancer institute, prevent breast cancer, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center