A new analysis from seven outpatient imaging centers in the New York region shows that 20–24% of all breast cancers diagnosed between 2014 and 2024 occurred in women aged 18 to 49. According to the RSNA presentation, 1,799 breast cancers were identified in this age group—80.7% of them invasive.
“This research shows that a significant proportion of cancers are diagnosed in women under 40, a group for whom there are no screening guidelines at this time,” said Stamatia Destounis, M.D., radiologist at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care (EWBC). She emphasized the importance of risk assessment to identify younger women who may benefit from intensified screening.
High Rate of Aggressive and Invasive Tumors
Of the diagnosed cases, 41% were detected through screening and 59% through diagnostic evaluation. Notably, many cancers in women under 40 were aggressive, including “some were ‘triple-negative,’ a form of breast cancer that is harder to treat because it doesn’t respond to common hormone-based therapies,” Dr. Destounis noted.
Despite younger women constituting only 21–25% of the screened population, they consistently accounted for one in four cancers detected each year. This stable trend over 11 years highlights a persistent public-health concern.
Challenging Current Screening Thresholds
“This is striking because it shows that younger women not only carry a stable and substantial share of the breast cancer burden, but their tumors are often biologically aggressive,” Dr. Destounis said. These findings challenge age-based guidelines and reinforce calls for personalized, risk-tailored screening, particularly for women with genetic predispositions or strong family histories.
Raising Awareness and Supporting Earlier Evaluation
The study’s central message is clear: breast cancer in younger women is not rare and is often more serious. As Dr. Destounis concluded, “We can’t rely only on age alone to decide who should be screened. Paying closer attention to personal and family history, and possibly screening earlier for some women, could help detect these cancers sooner.”
