What Age Group Is Most Likely To Get Breast Cancer

Weight And Metabolic Syndrome

Excess body weight has also been linked to an increased risk of many types of cancer, including cancer of the esophagus pancreas thyroid gallbladder colon and rectum breast endometrium and kidney.,â Visceral adipose tissue produces cytokines that create chronic inflammation and promote tumor growth through multiple biologic mechanisms., According to data collected in 2009â2010, the prevalence of obesity was 35.7% among U.S. adults aged â¥20 years and 36.6% among adults aged 40â59 years.

Excess body weight contributes to metabolic syndrome, which has also been linked to increased cancer risk.,, The National Cholesterol Education Programâs Adult Treatment Panel III report defines metabolic syndrome as the presence of three or more of the following characteristics: abdominal obesity triglycerides â¥150 mg/dL low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol blood pressure of â¥135/â¥85 mm Hg and a fasting glucose â¥100 mg/dL. During 2003â2006, the percentage of adults meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome was more than twice as high among those aged 40â59 years than among those aged 20â39 years . Facilitating healthy dietary choices and physical activity among adults may potentially help to not only reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome but also reduce risk for certain related cancers.

Breast And Ovarian Cancer And Family History Risk Categories

This table provides examples of average, moderate, and strong family health histories of breast and ovarian cancer. This may help you understand if you have an increased risk for these cancers based on your family health history.

Note: This table does not include all possible family health histories of breast and ovarian cancer. If you have concerns about your family health history of breast or ovarian cancer, please talk to your doctor. Your doctor may assess your risk based on your personal and family health history, using one of the following:

Results may vary, depending on the tool used, and may differ from the risk categories below, which are based largely on the guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.1

First-degree = parents, brothers, sisters, children

Second-degree = aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents, grandchildren

Triple negative cancers are a type of breast cancer that lack estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Prevalence rates of triple negative breast cancer differ by race and ethnicity.

TNBC is:

• Progesterone receptor-negative
• HER2-negative

TNBC is more common among Black and African American women than among women of other ethnicities . TNBC may also be more common among Hispanic women compared to white and non-Hispanic white women .

TNBC is often aggressive. TNBC is more likely than estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers to recur, at least within the first 5 years after diagnosis .

Also Check: Can Estroven Cause Breast Cancer

What Causes Breast Cancer In Your 20s And 30s

Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast begin to grow and multiply abnormally. Changes in DNA can cause normal breast cells to become abnormal.

The exact reason why normal cells turn into cancer is unclear, but researchers know that hormones, environmental factors, and genetics each play a role.

Roughly 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to inherited gene mutations. The most well-known are breast cancer gene 1 and breast cancer gene 2 . If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, your doctor may suggest testing your blood for these specific mutations.

Breast cancer in your 20s and 30s has been found to differ biologically in some cases from the cancers found in older women. For example, younger women are more likely to be diagnosed with triple negative and HER2-positive breast cancers than older women.

Here are some statistics about breast cancer in women under 40:

Whats Your Risk Of Developing Ovarian Cancer In Your 40s

As mentioned earlier, a persons risk of developing ovarian cancer increases with age. About 90% of those who get ovarian cancer are older than 40, with the greatest number of cancers occurring in women aged 60 years or older.

For women, trans men and non-binary people aged 35-44, the percentage of new cases of ovarian cancer between 2014 and 2017 was 6.5%, and for those aged 45-54 the percentage of new cases was 7.1%.

Women who have their first full-term pregnancy after 35 or who never carried a pregnancy to term are at greater risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Also Check: Don Harrington Breast Cancer Center

Clinicopathologic Features Biology And Prognosis

The comparison of clinicopathologic and prognostic features of breast cancer arising in younger women with those in their older counterparts has been the subject of published studies for decades.- Traditionally, breast cancer arising in a younger host is characterized by a more aggressive phenotype. Among 185 premenopausal women carrying a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer, referred for surgery at the European Institute of Oncology from April 1997 to August 2000, those aged less than 35 years had a higher percentage of ER-negative , progesterone receptor -negative , vascular or lymphatic invasion and pathologic grade 3 tumors compared with women aged 35-50 years. Differences in tumor size, lymph node involvement, and Her2/neu status between younger and older women diagnosed with breast cancer have been less clear.-

Your Personal History Of Breast Cancer

If youve been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past, you are more likely to develop a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is not considered a recurrence but a new breast cancer.

What to do: Follow your cancer teams instructions on monitoring to stay on top of this risk. Ask your doctor whether you should see a genetic counselor.

Read Also: How Do I Get Tested For Breast Cancer

Benefits Of Mammographic Screening

The ACS systematic review also examined the effect of screening mammography on life expectancy. Although the review concluded that there was high-quality evidence that mammographic screening increases life expectancy by decreasing breast cancer mortality, the authors were not able to estimate the size of the increase 23.

Menstrual And Reproductive History

The menstrual cycle increases levels of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone in the body.

Starting menstrual periods at a younger age or going through menopause at a later age raises the bodys exposure to these hormones, which can increase a persons risk of breast cancer.

Those who start their menstrual period before the age of 12 years and those who go through menopause after the age of 55 years have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Females who have never given birth at full-term and those who had their first full-term pregnancy after the age of 30 years also have a higher risk of breast cancer, according to the NCI.

Recommended Reading: How Much Is Genetic Testing For Breast Cancer

How Has The Risk Of Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Changed In Recent Years

For a woman born in the 1970s in the United States, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, based on breast cancer statistics from that time, was just under 10% .

The last five annual SEER Cancer Statistics Review reports show the following estimates of lifetime risk of breast cancer, all very close to a lifetime risk of 1 in 8:

• 12.83%, based on statistics for 2014 through 2016
• 12.44%, based on statistics for 2013 through 2015
• 12.41%, based on statistics for 2012 through 2014
• 12.43%, based on statistics for 2011 through 2013
• 12.32%, based on statistics for 2010 through 2012

SEER statisticians expect some variability from year to year. Slight changes may be explained by a variety of factors, including minor changes in risk factor levels in the population, slight changes in breast cancer screening rates, or just random variability inherent in the data.

Selected Reference

Related Resources

• Reviewed:December 16, 2020

Want to use this content on your website or other digital platform? Our syndication services page shows you how.

Cancer Cases By Age Groups

You can get cancer at any age, including as infants and toddlers. But cancer is mostly a disease of middle age and beyond. The median age at diagnosis is 66, meaning that half of all new cases are found before then and half are diagnosed later.

The following is the share of diagnoses for all types of cancer in the U.S. by age groups:

• Under 20: 1%

Read Also: How Do I Tell If I Have Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Incidence By Sex And Uk Country

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases .

In females in the UK, breast cancer is the most common cancer . In males in the UK, it is not among the 20 most common cancers .

99% of breast cancer cases in the UK are in females, and 1% are in males.

Breast cancer incidence rates rates ) for persons are similar to the UK average in all the UK constituent countries.

Breast Cancer , Number of New Cases, Crude and European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017

Risk Factors You Can Change

• Not being physically active. Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
• Being overweight or obese after menopause. Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight.
• Taking hormones. Some forms of hormone replacement therapy taken during menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than five years. Certain oral contraceptives also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
• Reproductive history. Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk.
• Drinking alcohol. Studies show that a womans risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.

Research suggests that other factors such as smoking, being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, and changes in other hormones due to night shift working also may increase breast cancer risk.

You May Like: Does Your Breast Hurt With Breast Cancer

Risk For Different Age Groups

Although females are more likely to develop breast cancer after they reach the age of 50 years, younger women can also develop this condition.

According to the NCI, the risk that a doctor will diagnose breast cancer in a female in the United States within the next 10 years is:

• 1 in 227 for those aged 30 years
• 1 in 68 for those aged 40 years
• 1 in 42 for those aged 50 years
• 1 in 28 for those aged 60 years
• 1 in 26 for those aged 70 years

The also report that of the 437,722 females that doctors diagnosed breast cancer in between 2012 and 2016:

• 1.9% were aged 2034 years
• 8.4% were aged 3544 years
• 20.1% were aged 4455 years
• 25.6% were aged 5564 years
• 24.8% were aged 6574 years
• 13.7% were aged 7584 years
• 5.6% were aged 84 years+

Age is just one risk factor for developing breast cancer. Some other risk factors that people cannot control include:

How Common Is It

Breast cancer isnt common in women under 40.

A womans risk of breast cancer throughout her 30s is just 1 in 227, or about 0.4 percent. By age 40 to 50, the risk is roughly 1 in 68, or about 1.5 percent. From age 60 to 70, the chance increases to 1 in 28, or 3.6 percent.

Out of all types of cancer, though, breast cancer is the most common among U.S. women. A womans risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime is about 12 percent.

Recommended Reading: Can You Get Breast Cancer At 16

Can You Get Ovarian Cancer At Any Age

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most commonly occurring cancer in women worldwide, and causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer. In the United States, it ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. Certain risk factors can increase the chances of an individual developing ovarian cancer, one being age. Though the cancer risk increases as a person gets older, it is still possible to develop ovarian cancer at any age. Two thirds of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer are age 55 or older, but having a family history of breast or ovarian cancer can increase your risk of developing it at a younger age.

Reproductive History Estrogen Is The Main Hormone Associated With Breast Cancer Estrogen Affects The Growth Of Breast Cells Experts Believe That It Plays An Important Role In The Growth Of Breast Cancer Cells As Well The Type Of Exposure And How Long Cells Are Exposed To Estrogen Affects The Chances That Breast Cancer Will Develop

Early menarche

The start of menstruation is called menarche. Early menarche is when menstruation starts at an early age . Starting your period early means that your cells are exposed to estrogen and other hormones for a greater amount of time. This increases the risk of breast cancer.

Late menopause

Menopause occurs as the ovaries stop making hormones and the level of hormones in the body drops. This causes a woman to stop menstruating. If you enter menopause at a later age , it means that your cells are exposed to estrogen and other hormones for a greater amount of time. This increases the risk for breast cancer. Likewise, menopause at a younger age decreases the length of time breast tissue is exposed to estrogen and other hormones. Early menopause is linked with a lower risk of breast cancer.

Late pregnancy or no pregnancies

Pregnancy interrupts the exposure of breast cells to circulating estrogen. It also lowers the total number of menstrual cycles a woman has in her lifetime.

Women who have their first full-term pregnancy after the age of 30 have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than women who have at least one full-term pregnancy at an earlier age. Becoming pregnant at an early age reduces breast cancer risk.

The more children a woman has, the greater the protection against breast cancer. Not becoming pregnant at all increases the risk for breast cancer.

You May Like: How Do You Know You Have Breast Cancer

Inherited Breast Cancer And Risk Reduction

Family history is a known risk factor for breast cancer, with elevated risk due to both increasing number and decreasing age of first-degree relatives affected. For example, in a large, population-based study, risk of breast cancer was increased 2.9-fold among women whose relative was diagnosed prior to age 30, but the increase was only 1.5-fold if the affected relative was diagnosed after age 60 years. While twin studies indicate familial aggregation among women diagnosed with breast cancer, identification of true germline mutations, including BRCA1, BRCA2, p53 , PTEN , and STK11 , are quite rare, on the order of 5%-6%.- However, the management of young women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer via a germline mutation requires careful consideration, as screening, risk reduction, and implications for relatives are of upmost importance.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyBCTeam is the social network for people with breast cancer and their loved ones. On MyBCTeam, more than 53,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with breast cancer.

Are you worried about your risk of developing breast cancer? Share your experiences in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on MyBCTeam.

Read Also: Can Breast Cancer Develop In One Year

Cancer Occurrence At Older Ages

Life expectancy and the percentage of the U.S. population that is surviving at older ages has increased dramatically over the last century. In 1900, the average life expectancy from birth was 47 years in 2011, life expectancy from birth was about 76 years for men and 81 years for women. Just since 1960, life expectancy at age 65 years has increased by 5 years. Life expectancy also shifts upward as people survive to older ages . For example, in 2011, men aged 65 years were expected to live another 18 years , whereas women aged 65 years were expected to live another 20 years . More than half of the adults aged 85 years in 2011 can expect to live at least another 6 years. During 2010â2050, the number of adults aged 85 years and older in the U.S. is projected to grow from 5.5 million to 19 million.

Ovarian Cancer Is Usually Diagnosed In Post

The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases with age, according to the American Cancer Society. Ovarian canceris rare in people under 40 and it usually develops after the onset of menopause. Half of all people with ovarian cancer are diagnosed after the age of 63.

Some of therisk factors for ovarian cancer include using fertility treatments, being overweight, smoking, and having had breast cancer.

Don’t Miss: Can Getting Hit In The Breast Cause Cancer

Breast Cancer Diagnosed During Or After Pregnancy

Being pregnant at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer has been associated with a worse outcome. In one study of 797 such cases, compared with 4,177 non-pregnancy-associated breast cancer controls, women diagnosed while pregnant had larger, more advanced tumors, a greater incidence of receptor-negative tumors, and a higher death rate . A smaller study found no association between pregnancy and increased mortality. In contrast, pregnancy and childbirth following a diagnosis of breast cancer do not increase mortality, and actually may improve survival. One study found that 438 women age < 45 years at diagnosis, who delivered a child 10 or more months following a diagnosis of breast cancer, had a decreased relative risk of death , compared to women who did not bear children following diagnosis. Women who were pregnant at the time they were diagnosed had a mortality rate similar to the latter group. This suggests that childbirth following breast cancer diagnosis does not increase mortality.