RSNA: 20 to 24 Percent of Breast Cancers Diagnosed in Women Aged 18 to 49

TUESDAY, Dec. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- About 20 to 24 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed between 2014 and 2024 were in women aged 18 to 49 years, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Chicago.Stamatia Destounis, M.D., from Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, New York, and colleagues examined trends in breast cancer incidence in a retrospective review of breast cancer cases diagnosed in women aged 18 to 49 years between 2014 and 2024 at a community outpatient breast imaging facility.The researchers identified 1,799 breast cancers diagnosed in 1,290 women aged 18 to 49 years. Overall, 41 and 59 percent of cancers were detected on screening and diagnostic evaluation, respectively. Most cases (80.7 percent) were invasive cancers, while 19.3 percent were noninvasive; 1.8 percent of patients presented with metastatic disease. Twenty-one percent of cases had a documented family history of breast cancer. Tumor grade distribution included low-grade, intermediate-grade, and high-grade tumors (19.3, 43.9, and 33.0 percent, respectively); 8.6 percent were triple-negative. In an age-stratified analysis, 24 and 76 percent of cancers occurred in women younger than 40 years and aged 40 to 49 years, respectively. The absolute number of cancers in this cohort remained stable at about 20 to 24 percent of total breast cancer volume per year."We can't rely only on age alone to decide who should be screened," Destounis said in a statement. "Paying closer attention to personal and family history, and possibly screening earlier for some women, could help detect these cancers sooner."Press ReleaseMore Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

RSNA: 20 to 24 Percent of Breast Cancers Diagnosed in Women Aged 18 to 49

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