logo

Risks and Prevention: Understanding Breast Cancer

Breast cancer - till a few years ago, only older women contracted it. Now younger women are more at risk
Rayomand S. Engineer
By
Rayomand S. Engineer
Risks and Prevention: Understanding Breast Cancer

Introduction

Mahima was a 30 something young corporate achiever, who lived life on her own terms. She worked in a start-up, worked out 5 times a week in a city gym, and partied hard every Saturday. For the past couple of months, Mahima was worried about a lump that she found on her breast. She had gotten a few tests done, but had stayed away from getting a biopsy because mentally she wasn’t there yet.

Mahima isn’t alone. There are scores of young women with lumps on their breasts, who are at risk of being affected by breast cancer despite the belief that it primarily affects older women. One of the most common myths is that only older women are at risk of developing breast cancer. Reality is quite different, however, where a number of younger women are diagnosed with this condition.

In countries like the US, UK and some parts of Europe, it is usually observed that women who are 50 years and older are most affected by breast cancer age risk. That age group constitutes the majority of breast cancer in those regions.

This statistic in itself should be a wake up call to all women, irrespective of age. Does breast cancer only affect older women? Read on and find out.

Introduction