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Is It Possible To Have Breast Cancer At 16

Breast Lumps In Teenagers

Cancer Survivor Story – Kim & Theo at The Truth About Cancer LIVE ’16 – Breast Cancer

It can be normal to feel lumps when your;breasts are developing;and these often disappear on their own.

If a lump causes you any discomfort, appears to get bigger or youre worried about it, talk to someone such as your GP. You may also want to talk to someone in your family or a school nurse.

Although its very unlikely that theres anything wrong, a doctor can check it out and should put your mind at rest. You can ask to see a female doctor or the practice nurse if this will make you feel more comfortable.

Very occasionally lumps are a sign of a benign breast condition. Benign means harmless, and a benign condition will not become a breast cancer. The most common benign lump as the breasts are developing is known as a;fibroadenoma.

Can Exercise Help Reduce My Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer

Exercise is a big part of a healthy lifestyle. It can also be a useful way to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer in your postmenopausal years. Women often gain weight and body fat during menopause. People with higher amounts of body fat can be at a higher risk of breast cancer. However, by reducing your body fat through exercise, you may be able to lower your risk of developing breast cancer.

The general recommendation for regular exercise is about 150 minutes each week. This would mean that you work out for about 30 minutes, five days each week. However, doubling the amount of weekly exercise to 300 minutes can greatly benefit postmenopausal women. The longer duration of exercise allows for you to burn more fat and improve your heart and lung function.

The type of exercise you do can vary the main goal is get your heart rate up as you exercise. Its recommended that your heart rate is raised about 65 to 75% of your maximum heart rate during exercise. You can figure out your maximum heart rate by subtracting your current age from 220. If you are 65, for example, your maximum heart rate is 155.

Aerobic exercise is a great way to improve your heart and lung function, as well as burn fat. Some aerobic exercises you can try include:

  • Walking.
  • Dancing.
  • Hiking.

Remember, there are many benefits to working more exercise into your weekly routine. Some benefits of aerobic exercise can include:

A Word Of Caution Regarding Home Genetic Tests For Breast Cancer

The idea of a home genetic test for breast cancer is exciting to many people, as these tests might help them avoid the clinic while being their own advocate in their health. It’s important to thoroughly understand the limitations of these tests, however, if you choose to do one.

For example, a popular at-home genetic test identifies three breast cancer genes that are more common among Ashkenazi women but are rare in other ethnic populations. While the company is transparent in admitting that the test only checks for 3 out of a potential 1000 BRCA mutations, not everyone reads the small print. The bottom line on this test is that for Ashkenazi Jewish woman, a positive test might let them know they should see their doctor . For most women the test is relatively meaningless, and actually be harmful if they trusted the results and did not have formal testing.

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Breast Lumps In Adolescents: Causes

  • Breast masses in teens are almost always benign .
  • Breast cancer is very rare in teens
  • Fibroadenoma: most breast masses in teens are fibroadenomas. They are 1 inch oval or round, rubbery, non-tender mass. Most often in upper-outer quadrant of breast. Not associated with breast cancer. Natural course: 50% go away within 5 years, others need removal.
  • Juvenile fibroadenomas: breast masses that are larger than 2 inches in size. Benign, but need to be removed by surgery.
  • Breast cysts
  • Breast abscess: this is a red, painful lump. Main cause is Staph bacteria. Main triggers are nipple injury, nipple piercing or lactation . Needs oral antibiotics and needle removal of the pus.
  • Breast collections of blood from injury: may take weeks or months to resolve.

Other Options To Consider

She Faced Breast Cancer At 16 With Little Help From ...

If you are considering getting pregnant in the future, the thought of your fertility possibly being affected can be challenging. If you cant become pregnant after breast cancer treatment, you can still become a parent. There are other options such as adoption, surrogacy, and in vitro fertilization using donor eggs.

Remember to reach out to your physician if you are concerned about fertility after breast cancer treatment. Often, counseling can help you figure out the options that come with surviving breast cancer and planning your future for fertility.

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Complementary And Alternative Treatments

Some people with breast cancer might be interested in exploring complementary or alternative treatments like vitamins, herbs, acupuncture, and massage.

These treatments are used alongside traditional breast cancer therapies to treat cancer or relieve cancer symptoms and uncomfortable side effects of treatments like chemotherapy. You can explore these treatments at any stage of breast cancer.

Examples of alternative therapy include:

  • using massage to relax
  • using peppermint tea to reduce nausea
  • using cannabis to relieve pain

While some alternative medicine treatments might help you feel more comfortable, its important to keep in mind that many are unproven and could be harmful to your health. To be safe, talk with your doctor about alternative treatments youre interested in pursuing.

Breast cancer that spreads to other parts of the body can cause pain, such as bone pain, muscle pain, headaches, and discomfort around the liver. Talk with your doctor about pain management.

Options for mild to moderate pain include acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen.

For severe pain in a later stage, your doctor may recommend an opioid such as morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, or fentanyl. These opioids have the potential for addiction, so they are only recommended in certain cases.

While breast cancer stage has a lot to do with treatment options, other factors can impact your treatment options as well.

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You Have Sore On Your Breast That Won’t Heal

Whether it’s on your breast or on your nipple, a sore that won’t seem to heal is something to pay close attention to. “It may be a sign of Paget’s disease of the breast, a rare form of breast cancer,” says Alvarez. “This disease originates in the nipple. It’s not usually invasive and is most commonly diagnosed in patients in their 70s and 80s.” And for warning signals of other types of serious conditions, check out These Are All of the Cancer Warning Signs Hiding in Plain Sight.

Fat Injections To Increase The Size Of Your Breasts Can Impact Your Mammogram

Survival Rate and Treatment for Breast Cancer Recurrence

Fat injections can cause scarring inside the breast which may make mammographic interpretation more difficult, says Dr. Philpotts. Also, implants obscure some portions of the breast tissue on mammography. While most of the time these augmentation methods are not problematic, sometimes they make mammograms less accurate or may lead to additional testing, she says.

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Lobular Carcinoma In Situ

Lobular carcinoma in situ ;may also be called lobular neoplasia. In LCIS, cells that look like cancer cells are growing in the lobules of the milk-producing glands of the breast, but they havent grown through the wall of the lobules. LCIS is not a true pre-invasive cancer because it does not turn into an invasive cancer if left untreated, but it is linked to an increased risk of invasive cancer in both breasts. LCIS is rarely, if ever seen in men.

‘lightning Strikes’ When Young Girls Get Breast Cancer

Young women experience unique problems when diagnosed with breast cancer.

It started with a casual mention to her mother that she felt a quarter-sized lump in her right breast. Doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer. She was 13 years old.

“I couldn’t tell her, I was just crying,” said her mother, Stephanie Anderson, when she learned of Taylor’s diagnosis. “I thought, ‘How am I going to explain this to my 13-year-old daughter about breast cancer?’ When I tried to talk to her, it just would not come out.”

The lump Thompson found in her breast was a type of fast-growing, potentially malignant tumor generally found in premenopausal women, not in girls Thompson’s age.

In fact, oncologists said finding cancerous breast cells in girls as young as Thompson is akin to being struck by lightning.

And while breast cancer is overwhelming at any age, women who get the disease in their twenties, their teens or younger face a host of unique issues that complicate an already devastating diagnosis.

“They face issues all breast cancer patients face — dealing with a potentially life-threatening illness, mortality, toxic treatments, breast surgery,” said Dr. Ann Partridge, director of the Young Women and Breast Cancer program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. “But a person who is young deals with those at an age when they have their own so these are accentuated.”

Breast Cancer in Young Patients Is Rare

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Why Do Girls Need Them

Most teens don’t need breast exams. That’s because it’s rare for girls to have breast problems. Doctors usually just look at a girl’s breasts during her yearly gyn checkup to see where she is in her development. But if you have a family history of breast problems, your doctor or nurse might give you a breast exam.

The Breast Cancer A Mammogram Can’t Detect

My Breast Cancer Story/Journey
  • Skin over the breast becomes pink, red or darkened with rash-like symptoms
  • Skin over breast thickens, sometimes with a fine dimpling with texture similar to the skin of an orange
  • Breast is noticeably warm to the touch
  • Breast pain or tenderness
  • Swelling, usually sudden, sometimes a cup size in a few days
  • Itching
  • Nipple retraction or discharge
  • Change in color and texture of the areola

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Who Gets Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women other than skin cancer. Increasing age is the most common risk factor for developing breast cancer, with 66% of breast cancer patients being diagnosed after the age of 55.

In the US, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer, and it’s the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 35 to 54. Only 5 to 10% of breast cancers occur in women with a clearly defined genetic predisposition for the disease. The majority of breast cancer cases are “sporadic, meaning there is no definitive gene mutation.

How Do Young People Get This Disease In The First Place

Dr. Johnson explains, The exact etiology is unknown, as it is in most breast cancers. Young women are more known to have a genetic mutation associated with their breast cancer as opposed to older women, but this has not been demonstrated to be the leading risk factor.

More research is needed to identify causative factors in this patient population.

Though the National Cancer Institute says that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in females 15 to 54, this isnt as frightening as it seems.

First off, included in this statistic are women 50 to 54. In fact, the inclusion of women 40 to 49 is also significant.

The vast majority of those cancer deaths in that age range are in women over 40.

But still, what about the inclusion of teens in this statistic?

That teenagers 15 to 19 are included in this statistic simply reflects the fact that teens are less likely to die from heart disease, Alzheimers disease, liver disease, kidney failure and stroke!

Thus, the statistic of 15 to 54 needs to be put into some serious context.

Another point to consider: No matter how rare a medical condition is in a certain demographic, its very existence in that demographic means that the answer must be Yes when the question is asked if it can occur in that specific demographic.

In other words, if only ONE 17-year-old in the history of mankind developed breast cancer, this would validate saying, Yes, a 17-year-old can get breast cancer.

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You Have A Reddish Or Purple Nipple

Noticing your nipple change colors isn’t a great sign. According to Holly Pederson, MD, director of medical breast services at the Cleveland Clinic, it could be a symptom of cancer and could also involve flaking and irritation. “Cancer can originate in the nipple,” she told WebMD. “The nipple will look reddish or purplish; it doesn’t look normal. It’s actually the tumor cells invading the nipple that cause the skin to look different if it is breast cancer.”

Your Race And Ethnicity

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White and Black women have the highest risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latina womens breast cancer rates fall in between two major groupings while American Indian and Alaska Native women are on the lowest end of risk.

While white women are more likely to develop breast cancer than Black women overall, they tend to be diagnosed at an older age . Black women have the highest breast cancer rates among women under age 40. Black women make up a higher percentage of triple-negative breast cancer cases.

What to do: If your race or ethnicity places you at higher risk, make sure you follow all screening recommendations to improve your chances of catching cancer early.

Read Also: How Did I Get Breast Cancer

Types Of Cancers That Develop In Adolescents

Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can then spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about cancer and how it starts and spreads, see Cancer Basics.

For statistical purposes, cancers in adolescents are often thought of as those that start between the ages of 15 and 19. Cancer is not common in teens, but a variety of cancer types can occur in this age group, and treating these cancers can be challenging for a number of reasons.

Most cancers occur in older adults.;Cancers that start in childhood are much less common. The types of cancers that develop in children are often different from the types that develop in adults. Childhood cancers are often the result of DNA changes in cells that take place very early in life, sometimes even before birth. Unlike many cancers in adults, childhood cancers are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental risk factors.

The types of cancers that occur in adolescents are a mix of many of the types that can develop in children and adults.;The types of cancers seen in adolescents are not unique to this age group, but the most common types are different from those most common in young children or adults. ;

Fertility After Breast Cancer: Is It Possible

After your breast cancer diagnosis, there are so many decisions that must be made. The process of planning your treatment and then following the steps for cancer treatment can be very overwhelming. When you determine your treatment plan, you want to consider your fertility and pregnancy issues to have children.

There are women who have become pregnant after breast cancer treatment. However, it is important to talk to your physician to understand your options for fertility before attempting to get pregnant. Careful thought and planning are important as specific breast cancer treatments can cause temporary infertility or permanent infertility.

When you are thinking about fertility after breast cancer, there are some things to consider.;

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How Common Is Breast Cancer In Teens

Even in young adult women, the odds of developing breast cancer are very low. Less than 5 percent of breast cancers occur in women under 40. At age 30, the risk of developing breast cancer is 0.44 percent. There are less than 25 cases of breast cancer per year in women in each age group under 30. Among teenagers, the figure is close to zero.

These statistics mean that issues with the breasts are almost certainly due to other causes and these are often just normal development.

Other reasons a teenager might develop a lump in her breast include:

What Are The Risk Factors For Breast Cancer

Is it possible for a 14

Like many conditions, risk factors for breast cancer fall into the categories of things you can control and things that you cannot control. Risk factors affect your chances of getting a disease, but having a risk factor does not mean that you are guaranteed to get a certain disease.

Controllable risk factors for breast cancer

  • Alcohol consumption. The risk of breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. For instance, women who consume two or three alcoholic beverages daily have an approximately 20% higher risk of getting breast cancer than women who do not drink at all.
  • Body weight. Being obese is a risk factor for breast cancer. It is important to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
  • Breast implants. Having silicone breast implants and resulting scar tissue make it harder to distinguish problems on regular mammograms. It is best to have a few more images to improve the examination. There is also a rare cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma that is associated with the implants.
  • Choosing not to breastfeed. Not breastfeeding can raise the risk.
  • Using hormone-based prescriptions. This includes using hormone replacement therapy during menopause for more than five years and taking certain types of birth control pills.

Non-controllable risk factors for breast cancer

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