Quality-of-Life In Young Survivors

Through my own experience as a survivor diagnosed at 37, I know quality-of-life is not one size fits all and depends in many factors.  Factors like how much knowledge we acquire about the disease and treatment options, establishing a network of support, and access to the latest treatments for breast cancer.

To achieve better quality-of-life, young women diagnosed with breast cancer need to have information about treatment options and ways they might be able to minimize side effects of therapies - like chemo or hormonal treatments.  For example, preserving a woman's eggs before starting treatment is usually very important to women with no children at the time of diagnosis.

Psychosocial effects, early menopause, fertility-related concerns, and behavioral changes affect many young women with a breast cancer diagnosis.  Often times certain treatment outcomes related to weight gain and limited physical activity can be managed or reduced simply by being given the necessary resources and support (counselors, nutritionists, therapists, etc).  Providing the necessary tools, resources, and information to help these young patients regain control and improve their quality-of-life after treatment is vital.

Emotional support is crucial for all breast cancer patients and survivors, but for young women, they feel the inability to slow down or take time off for treatments.  Many of these women have young children at home, and those that don't can feel the anxiety and pressure to one day be able to have children.  

It’s not that breast cancer has a greater impact on quality-of-life for a younger woman versus a woman in her fifties; the reality is that some issues are different and the approach to treatment and support has to be tailored accordingly to the needs of this population.