breast cancer incidence in young woman

In 1999 there were 10,592 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women in Australia. Of these, 684 cases (approximately 6%) were in women aged younger than 40 years, while 1,967 cases (approximately 19%) were in women aged between 40 and 49 years (see Table 1).10


The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. Over the four-year period between 1992 and 1996,Australian women aged less than 30 years had a 1 in 2,298 risk of developing breast cancer,women aged 30 to 39 years had a risk of 1 in 244, and those aged 40 to 49 had a 1 in 67 risk.11 Over the ten-year period between 1986 and 1996 there was a rise of 7% in the breast cancer incidence rate for women aged 15 to 39 years.11 Although breast cancer incidence is lower in younger women, the years of life lost in this age group is proportionately greater due to their longer life expectancy.