Young Breast Cancer Programs Grow

CancerWise - September 2008

By Nada El-Sayed

Young breast cancer survivors need support and education. Now, several organizations worldwide are showing an interest in developing those resources, similar to M. D. Anderson’s Beth Sanders Moore Young Breast Cancer Survivors’ Program.

“Physicians and nurses from all over the world have contacted us to learn about our program because they see the need for it and want to help young survivors in their own countries,” says Anita Broxson, program director. “These younger survivors are dealing with issues beyond their years, including early menopause and infertility, and the program is a support system and educational resource for women who are experiencing the same things.”

Houston resident Moore, for whom the program is named, saw a lack of information and resources for young breast cancer survivors when she was diagnosed with the disease at age 45. The M. D. Anderson initiative provides support and information for women diagnosed with breast cancer at 45 years old or younger. It also develops research studies related to young survivor issues.

About 28,000 women in this age group are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

International interest increases

International interest in the Houston program this year alone has included queries from Japan, Chile and Australia. Broxson will speak about what’s being done to address issues facing young breast cancer survivors during the Annual Nursing Congress at Clínica Alemaña in Santiago, Chile, in October.

She already spoke on the topic at the 10th annual Breast Care Nurses Conference in May. The Western Australian Specialist Breast Nurses' Interest Group, which convened the conference in Fremantle, Australia, also has shown interest in developing a survivors’ program in Australia for younger women, since the number of breast cancer diagnoses in that country is expected to increase.

The number of all women diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia is expected to increase from 5,318 in 1983 to 14,818 by 2011, according to the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC), Australia's government-funded program on breast and ovarian cancers.

“We are particularly impressed with the Beth Sanders Moore Program and are pleased to learn more about the method used to construct the program,” says Liz O'Brien, coordinator of the Australian conference. “It appears to embody much of what we feel is lacking for young women in our care.”

Younger women affected by the disease often feel isolated because the majority of breast cancer survivors are older than 45 and are in a different stage of their lives. Many young survivors are confronting their mortality earlier than expected, and they have specific needs to be addressed, such as work, relationships and children.

“These women appear to be somewhat isolated from, and to some extent, neglected by existing support services,” O’Brien says. “Our intention in founding such a program is to meet these deficiencies by providing mutual support and appropriate education among the younger women.”

Breast cancer survivors are vocal

The M. D. Anderson program puts special emphasis on helping survivors learn how to live after cancer treatment.

“Institutions are taking an interest in our program because there is nothing else like it out there,” Broxson says. “There are so many women who have completed their treatment, are in remission and are just asking themselves, now what?”

Another reason young breast cancer survivor issues may have captured the interest of health care providers is that young survivors are part of the greater breast cancer survivor community, which has a powerful voice.

“There are more breast cancer survivors than any other type of cancer, and these women are more vocal and active in their desire for resources on what to do after cancer more now than ever,” Broxson says.

M. D. Anderson resources:

• Beth Sanders Moore Young Breast Cancer Survivors’ Program
• Nellie B. Connally Breast Center

Other resources:

• Young Survival Coalition
• SEER Cancer Statistics Review