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When a young woman in her teens or twenties is diagnosed with breast cancer, they are usually afraid that changes to their body will affect not only how they look but how other people feel about them.

Teenage Women and Breast Cancer
Although a breast cancer diagnosis is very rare for women in their teenage years, it is possible.

Teenagers are old enough to understand their diagnosis, treatment and also its implications. They may equate cancer with dying, and they need to know not only about their diagnosis and treatment. Also, young women need to be educated that breast cancer can often be successfully treated with recent advances in medicine and increased survival rates. To these young women, the impact that cancer and its treatment will have on their normal activities, appearance and relationships with peers may be especially important.

Many teenage patients complain that their parents are overprotective. Although this is a common cry of adolescents, it may be especially true with teenage cancer patients who are at a stage in their lives when they are naturally striving for independence but have a disease that forces them to be dependent on you and caregivers. Adolescents' attempts to achieve independence and make some of their own decisions should be encouraged within the limits set out by medical personnel.

With adolescents, special questions may arise. Those with driver's permits may want to go to the clinic alone or with a friend. Frustration over the disease-related dependence may increase their need to rebel against authority figures, which in this case could include physicians and other hospital personnel as well as you and other family members.

Women in Their 20's
A diagnosis of breast cancer when a woman is in her twenties is especially difficult because choosing a partner and childbearing are often very important during this period.

Partner issues are also important because the diagnosis can be very distressing for the partner, as well as the patient. Partners are usually concerned about how to express their love physically and emotionally after treatment, especially surgery.

They may be concerned that breast cancer and its treatment will affect their sexual relationships. Many couples find that talking about these concerns helps them find ways to express their love during and after treatment. Some seek counseling or a couples' support group.

Cancer and Pregnancy
Women who are pregnant or nursing usually have tender, swollen breasts, making small lumps hard to detect and possibly leading to a delay in diagnosing (finding) breast cancer. These delays are common, with an average reported delay of 5 to 15 months between the start of symptoms and the diagnosis. Because of this delay, cancers are usually detected at a later stage than they are in women who are not pregnant.

To detect breast cancer, pregnant and nursing women should examine their breasts and undergo a breast examination as part of the routine prenatal examination by a doctor. If an abnormality is found, ultrasound (a test that uses sound waves to find tumors) and a mammogram (a special x-ray of the breast that may find tumors that are too small to feel) can be performed with little risk to the developing fetus.

Pregnancy in Breast Cancer Survivors
Because of the well-established link between estrogen levels and growth of breast cancer cells, many doctors have advised breast cancer survivors to avoid pregnancy. However, nearly all studies have found that pregnancy does not increase the risk of recurrence after successful treatment of breast cancer.

Women are advised to discuss their risk of recurrence with their doctors. In some cases, counseling can help women with the complex issues and uncertainties regarding motherhood and breast cancer survivorship.