On her 25th birthday, Natalie Overson found a lump in her breast. A few weeks later, during the Christmas holiday, she went to see a surgeon, who told her he was 98 percent sure it was a normal cyst.

What he said next probably saved her life.

"He told me, 'I think you're fine,'" Overson said. "'But if you were my daughter, I would want to be 100 percent sure.'" He conducted a needlepoint biopsy, the best verification for breast cancer.

The day after Christmas, Overson stepped away from the family festivities to call the surgeon. She hung up the phone in shock. She had breast cancer.

Young women are not immune to breast cancer, a disease usually associated with older women. For young women, facing the disease is an entirely different battle as they confront particular circumstances exclusive to their age group and life situation. And, like Overson, most live to tell the tale - and do something about it.

Young women and breast cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 11,100 women under age 40 will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 1,100 will die.

Often, women are unaware they are at risk for breast cancer. Risk factors include lifestyle, environmental and genetic influences that can all contribute to the development of the cancer, although there are no direct causes.

"Really, what it comes down to is cancer is no respecter of persons," Overson said. "The real truth is everyone is at risk."

When she found the lump, Overson had recently returned from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had a steady boyfriend and one semester left before graduating from BYU-Hawaii. Despite her bright future, the lump was all it took to transform her life forever.

"It was that moment that started my journey," Overson said. "One moment and one phone call changed my plans and changed my life. But it didn't change who I was."

Young women, like Overson, can and do get breast cancer: one in every 229 women between ages 30 and 39 will develop the disease in their lifetime, according to the Young Survival Coalition, a national advocacy group for young women with breast cancer.

For college-age women, the risk is lower, but still there.

Not enough research has been done about breast cancer in young women, said Scott Thompson, the media relations representative for the American Cancer Society office in Salt Lake City. He said even in young women, breast cancer is diverse.

"There are a lot of variables," he said. "Each case is different."

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer incidence rates have been increasing since 1980. Thompson said this is not because of an actual increase of incidence of breast cancer in women young and old, but because of increased understanding.

"One of the reasons is that women are now more aware where to get screenings for breast cancer," he said.

He said women are more knowledgeable about self-examination and more proactive about getting tested if they have a family history of breast cancer, in part because of organizations' greater efforts to educate women about the disease.

Battling breast cancer

After Overson found out she had breast cancer, doctor visits began and she underwent surgery. Afterwards, she began chemotherapy, while completing long-distance coursework to finish her last classes at BYU-Hawaii. She also worked as a business manager.

"I made it a goal everyday to go to work, even if I was so sick I would get up, get dressed, go to work and then tell them I had to go home," Overson said.

Younger women are more aggressive in their choices of cancer treatment, said Lory Heaton, an oncology certified nurse at the Utah Valley Cancer Center in Provo. She deals with breast cancer patients on a daily basis.

"Their issues are a bit different than with older women - sometimes they have a family to raise," she said. "They also have other questions like, 'Is this going to affect my ability to have children in the future?'"

Heaton said, often, breast cancer is fueled by estrogen, and many young women are faced with the decision whether or not to remove their ovaries, the source of the hormone.

Breast cancer is usually more aggressive in young women because of a genetic predisposition, she said.

Younger women have denser breasts, making it harder to detect abnormal lumps, Heaton said, adding that, coupled with the general aggressiveness of breast cancer in young women, it is usually diagnosed in the later stages of cancer. But young women still have the numbers on their side.

"Cure rates are pretty good if the cancer is just in the breast and hasn't spread to other parts of the body," she said.

Beyond breast cancer: advocacy

After finishing chemotherapy and radiation, Overson said her focus transitioned from cancer to rebuilding her life. She said because of her experience with cancer, she wanted to give back to the cancer community. In June 2005, she started Stories for Cancer Heroes, a nonprofit organization allowing cancer survivors to write and publish their unique cancer stories for free.

She said sharing her own cancer story is one of the best things she ever did, "because it was a kind of therapy."

Other young breast cancer survivors have also felt inspired to give back and help those currently battling the disease. In 1998, three breast cancer survivors started the Young Survival Coalition to provide a network for young women diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as advocate further research into the cause and increased awareness in young women.

Overson said although battling breast cancer was the hardest thing she had ever done, she would do it all over again.

"The things I learned and gained are far greater than what was taken away," Overson said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 23 Jun 2006