Researchers Find an 'Alarming' Rise in Breast Cancer Rates in Women Under 40, Especially in These 5 States

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of a young woman getting a mammogram.Photo:Getty

Getty

Breast cancerrates in women under the age of 40 are rising across the united states — and in some regions surging 32%.

Researchers fromColumbia University’s Mailman School of Public Healthlooked at data from all 50 states and found that overall,breast cancerin women under 40 is on the rise — and it’s worse in the Northeast, which “had the highest absolute rate of BC among women under 40 and experienced a significant increase” between 2001 and 2020. Their findings were published on Wednesday, Feb. 12, inCancer Causes & Control.

Stock image of a state sign for Connecticut.Getty

The five states with the highest early-onset incidence from 2001 to 2020 were Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and Connecticut. In those five states, breast cancer rates were 32 percent higher than those with the lowest incidence.

Stock image of a young woman talking to a doctor.Getty

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Women getting screened for breast cancer at age 40 is a relatively new development; Last April, theU.S. Preventive Services Task Forceadvised all women —regardless of family history— to begin getting mammograms at age 40.

Although most insurance plans cover routine mammograms, the CDCs National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides screenings and other services to women who are uninsured or fall below the federal poverty limit. (Click hereto find a screening provider in your area.)

source: people.com