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Take the Pledge to Prevent Breast Cancer in Young Women!

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Sponsor: The Breast Cancer Site

Breast cancer diagnoses among women under 40 are rising at an alarming rate. The time to act is now.

Breast cancer diagnoses among women under 40 are rising at an alarming rate. The time to act is now.

There has been a 2% annual increase in invasive breast cancer in U.S. women under 40 over the last three decades1.

This year, the American Cancer Society2 estimates:

  • About 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
  • About 51,400 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be diagnosed.
  • About 43,250 women will die from breast cancer

Invasive breast tumors in women under 45 years old increased by 11.8% between 2007 and 2011 alone3.

Cancers diagnosed in younger women are often more aggressive and therefore more life-threatening4. This is especially alarming because young women and those with low health literacy are less likely to perform regular self-exams or seek out mammograms5.

Whether you are a woman over 40 who has a daughter, niece, grandchild or other young relative, or if you're a young woman yourself, you can make a difference in slowing down this disturbing statistical trend. Until there is a cure, prevention and awareness are our most powerful weapons.

Take the pledge today: Commit to raising awareness about these five proven ways every woman can lower her risk of being faced with a battle against breast cancer.

More on this issue:

  1. Brice Leclère, Florence Moliniéa, Brigitte Trétarre, Fabrizio Straccic, Laetitia Daubisse-Marliac, Marc Colonnae, Cancer Epidemiology (October 2013), "Trends in incidence of breast cancer among women under 40 in seven European countries: A GRELL cooperative study."
  2. American Cancer Society (2022), "Key Statistics for Breast Cancer."
  3. American Cancer Society (2017), "Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2017-2018."
  4. BreastCancer.org"Do Young Women Have Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes? It Seems to Depend on the Cancer’s Characteristics."
  5. Julie Armin, MA, ABD, Cristina Huebner Torres, MA, James Vivian, PhD, Cunegundo Vergara, MD, FACP, and Susan J. Shaw, PhD., Health Education Journal (May 2014), "Breast self-examination beliefs and practices, ethnicity, and health literacy: Implications for health education to reduce disparities."
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The Pledge:

I hereby pledge to share this vital and practical advice with all the young women in my life:

  1. Exercise regularly, preferably three times per week at 30-minute intervals.
  2. Eat a whole foods-based diet rich in colorful vegetables and low in processed foods.
  3. Moderate alcohol intake to 2-3 drinks per week.
  4. If you have a family history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor about the possibility of being tested for the breast cancer gene (BRCA1 and BRCA2).
  5. Above all, do your monthly self-exams!

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