Treating Breast Cancer In Younger Women

By Jon Arnold
Breast cancer does not recognize nor respect any age differences when it strikes in women, but when women under the age of approximately 50 are diagnosed with breast cancer, studies have found that the cancer is more aggressive and typically less responsive to the traditional treatments than when it occurs in older women.
But researchers think that they may have discovered the reason that this is the case, which is forging new inroads into the treatment of and potentially a cure for some forms of breast cancer. These findings of course need additional research but the findings are significant and may lead to more targeted therapies that can treat affected patients more effectively.
The research and studies found that the tumors in women under age 45 have certain identifiable patterns of cellular activity. The interesting part is that when these patterns are observed, the same tumor cell activity in older women usually leads to a better prognosis, while that activity in younger women typically leads to a poorer prognosis. One of the results of this discovery is the possibility of age-related treatments that are targeted to the patient based on the age of the patient.
The results of this study and research was presented at a recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology at their annual meeting in Chicago. The research and study was funded by the National Institute of Health.
The lead clinical research said that during the process by which cells will change and become cancerous, certain specific patterns were observed in younger women's tumors that were not seen in women over age 45 to 50. A conclusion that was reached by the time, based on this evidence, is that if they are able to inhibit those processes or patterns via the use of certain drugs, some of which are already available and some are currently undergoing evaluation, there is a much better chance at effectively treating the patient, possibly even curing them. Clearly, more research is required to determine which treatments or therapies are most effective in targeting the identified cellular activity, with the goal being to halt or shut down that particular activity and halting further tumor growth.
There were approximately 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and almost one-fourth of them (about 46,000) were under the age of 50.