Breast Cancer

Young Women and Breast Cancer

Health equity and access will be addressed by examining disparities in outcomes across socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines. Strategies to improve trial enrollment, outreach, and access to novel therapies for underserved populations will be emphasized. Health equity and access will be addressed by examining disparities in outcomes across socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines. Strategies to improve trial enrollment, outreach, and access to novel therapies for underserved populations will be emphasized. From a biological standpoint, breast cancer in younger women is more likely to present as triple-negative or HER2-positive subtypes, which are typically more aggressive and associated with poorer prognosis. This session will highlight the molecular and clinical characteristics that differentiate tumors in young women from those in older patients, informing decisions about personalized treatment planning. Fertility preservation is one of the most critical concerns for younger breast cancer patients. Chemotherapy and other systemic treatments can impair ovarian function, so the session will delve into oncofertility options such as egg and embryo freezing, ovarian tissue preservation, and the use of GnRH agonists during treatment. Collaboration between oncologists and reproductive endocrinologists will be discussed as essential in maintaining quality of life and future family planning possibilities.