Health
Breast cancer diagnoses spiking among women under 50, new report reveals
Although breast cancer deaths have been declining for decades in the U.S., diagnoses have been on the uptick among women 50 and younger.
That’s according to a new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) — Breast Cancer Statistics, 2024.
The good news is that since 1989, breast cancer mortality has declined overall by 44% — but diagnoses of the disease have been rising by 1% each year between 2012 and 2021.
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The biggest spike was seen among women younger than 50 (1.4% per year) and Asian-American/Pacific-Islander women (up to 2.7% per year), the report revealed.
The findings were published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Although breast cancer deaths have been declining for decades in the U.S., diagnoses have been on the uptick among women 50 and younger. (iStock)
“Although the breast cancer death rate has declined by 44% thanks to advances in early detection and treatment, the continued increase in breast cancer incidence may slow progress in the future,” lead author Angela Giaquinto, associate scientist in cancer surveillance research at the ACS, told Fox News Digital.
That is especially the case among women younger than 50, she said, whose rates are increasing by 1.4% per year compared to 0.7% per year in older women.
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Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the ACS, noted that women are “a lot less likely” to die from breast cancer, but that “alarming disparities” still remain — particularly for Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Native American and Black women.
“These gaps need to be rectified through systematic efforts to ensure access to high-quality screening and treatment for every woman,” he said in the release.
Women are “a lot less likely” to die from breast cancer, but that “alarming disparities” still remain — particularly for Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Native American and Black women, a researcher noted. (iStock)
The report compiled cancer data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), and the National Center for Health Statistics.
Second only to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women.
“The reasons for the increased prevalence of breast cancer in younger patients are complicated, multifaceted and still being studied.”
This year, approximately 310,720 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and around 42,250 will die from the disease, according to the ACS.
“The increased prevalence of breast cancer is not only an issue in the U.S. — we are seeing similar trends in other countries as well,” Dr. Christopher McGreevy, associate chief of breast surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital.
Potential reasons for the younger trend
“The reasons for the increased prevalence of breast cancer in younger patients are complicated, multifaceted and still being studied,” said McGreevy, who was not involved in the report.
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One reason for early-onset breast cancer is that more patients are obese, the doctor noted.
“Excess weight, particularly after menopause, fuels estrogen production, a key driver of certain breast cancers,” he said.
The best means of prevention is to talk to your doctor about getting screened, according to researchers. (iStock)
Delayed childbearing can also increase the onset of the disease, McGreevy noted, as pregnancy reduces women’s breast cancer risk.
“Environmental toxins, lurking in everything from plastics to pesticides, are also suspected contributors,” he said.
“These endocrine disruptors mimic estrogen in the body, potentially triggering abnormal cell growth.”
Genetics could also factor into the uptick, according to the doctor.
The rise among younger women could also be a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by delayed diagnoses due to interruptions in screening, according to the researchers. (iStock)
“Certain gene mutations, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, significantly elevate the risk of breast cancer, even at a young age,” he said.
The rise among younger women could also be a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by delayed diagnoses due to interruptions in screening, according to the researchers.
Potential limitations
There were some limitations associated with the study, the researchers acknowledged.
“The risk and trends in the study are for all women and are not able to account for individual patient characteristics, such as comorbidities or treatment received, or control for social determinants of health, such as insurance status,” Giaquinto told Fox News Digital.
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“We also present statistics for the broadly defined racial and ethnic groups, which mask substantial differences within these populations.”
Prevention tips
The best means of prevention is to talk to your doctor about getting screened, according to Giaquinto.
“Early detection of breast cancer is one of the best tools we have for improving survival,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Women can also reduce their risk of breast cancer by moderating alcohol consumption if they drink, maintaining a healthy body weight and being physically active,” the researcher advised. (iStock)
“All women should keep up to date with their recommended breast cancer screenings. This is especially relevant for younger women, as the recommended age of the United States Preventive Services Task Force was recently dropped to age 40.”
Women should also be aware of their family history and personal risk factors, Giaquinto added.
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“Women can also reduce their risk of breast cancer by moderating alcohol consumption if they drink, maintaining a healthy body weight and being physically active,” the researcher advised.
“About 30% of all breast cancers are attributed to these lifestyle factors.”
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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