CARNAL NATION

CNN reports on a worrying trend in breast cancer diagnoses which includes girls who are yet to have reached their teenage years. Though only 7 percent of breast cancer occurs in women under the age of 40, diagnoses in younger women are on the rise. Experts cannot offer a verifiable explanation for this shift.

Dr. Marisa Weiss, Oncologist and founder of Breastcancer.org suggests that environmental pollutants could impact hormone receptors and cause abnormalities in the breast. Dr. Jennifer Litton, of the University of Texas, agrees and also believes it may be related to greater self-awareness and earlier screenings of women who have a family history of breast cancer. Obesity is also a risk-factor, as extra fat results in increased estrogen production which can stimulate extra cell growth in the breast including abnormal cells.

Weiss explains that breast cancer in younger patients can be particularly concerning, as organs are most vulnerable in their formative stages. "The breast is a very sensitive, vulnerable organ," she explains. “The breast is the only organ in men and women that is formed after you're born."

Hannah Powell-Auslam of La Mirada, California is an 11 year-old girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer at the young age of 10. She has already had a masectomy, chemotherapy and lymph node surgery to manage her secretory carcinoma. Her family maintains a blog, “Our Little Sweet Pea” that provides updates on her cancer and its treatment.

Though it is possible for younger women to get breast cancer, it is still very rare and doctors do not recommend routine mammograms as dense breast tissue makes them difficult to read. Weiss does not want to alarm young women and their parents, but does want to raise awareness about breast health from an early age, as “that's when what they eat, drink, medicines they take and personal products they use, how they use their body becomes the building blocks in the construction project as they lay down the foundation of their future breast health."