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Cancer at young age more aggressive?

Page last modified on: October 8, 2008
Question from Carr: Does getting breast cancer at a young age mean the disease will be more aggressive and harder to fight?
Answer —Lynn Schuchter, M.D.: Not necessarily so. The aggressiveness of breast cancer is mainly related to the size of the tumor, whether or not lymph nodes are involved, whether the breast cancer expresses the hormone receptors — estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2/neu. Breast cancer can be more aggressive in younger women as opposed to women who have gone through menopause, but there are features of breast cancer that are more relevant to whether the cancer will be aggressive than just the age at diagnosis.

On Wednesday, April 19, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Young Women and Breast Cancer. Lynn Schuchter, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions about the special concerns of young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Schuchter, LynnLynn Schuchter, M.D. is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer and melanoma at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. is a breast cancer oncologist at Paoli Hematology-Oncology Associates in Paoli, Pa., with a special interest in physicians' communication skills.

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