At 29, she found a lump in her breast. What younger women should know about cancer

Breast cancer can affect younger women, even those who feel healthy and have no family history of the disease.

Karina Rodriguez was just 29 when she found a lump in her breast. The discovery changed her life.

“At that moment, I was thinking to myself, I don’t know that I’ve ever done a breast exam, and I don’t know that I’m doing this correctly. But at that moment, I found the lump,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, now a breast cancer survivor, received her treatment at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. She said she never expected to hear the word “cancer,” especially because she had no family history of the disease and considered herself healthy.

Her experience comes as doctors point to an increase in breast cancer diagnoses among younger women.

“So the incidence of breast cancer in young women has increased over the most recent years,” said Dr. Ahkeel Allen of TopLine MD Alliance. “Since 2019, moving forward, overall, the general population, the incidence has increased by 1%. But for young women, particularly those younger than 50 years old, that has increased by almost 2%.”

A new survey conducted by TopLine MD of more than 1,000 Florida women found only 52% were very aware that breast cancer diagnoses are increasing among younger women. Among women ages 30 to 39, that number dropped to 43%.

For Rodriguez, the diagnosis was difficult to process.

“I think the only way to really explain what I felt was devastation because in an instance, your whole life is turned around,” she said.

Routine mammograms generally begin at age 40 for women at average risk. However, a woman’s personal or family history may mean screening should begin sooner.

Doctors also stress that women should not wait for a routine screening if they notice a new lump or another unusual change in their breasts.

“I fully encourage any women who have a new symptom, a new sign, any difference, any change in their breast, bring it to a healthcare provider and don’t stop there,” Dr. Allen said. “If someone ignores your finding, you know, go to someone else. It’s okay.”

It’s a message Rodriguez hopes other women will take to heart.

“The sooner you catch something the better it is, and it’s really, really, really important to advocate for yourself also,” she said.

The TopLine MD survey also found that more than one in four women had delayed or skipped a recommended screening, underscoring doctors’ message about the importance of early detection.