Breast cancer in young women: current data on epidemiology, clinical features and personalised approaches to treatment and prevention

Objectives: to conduct a systematic review of current data on breast cancer epidemiology and risk factors; to develop a clinical profle of young breast cancer patients and describe approaches to their treatment and rehabilitation; to develop a prevention strategy for high-risk groups.
Material and Methods. A search was conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The review incorporated 60 sources (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials). A comparative analysis of risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of young breast cancer patients compared to elderly patients was conducted.
Results. Breast cancer poses a signifcant health challenge for women aged under 40 years, representing the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in this age group worldwide. A trend towards an increase in breast cancer incidence is observed among young women. The lack of tailored breast cancer screening for young women causes signifcant diagnostic delays, leading to late-stage cancer at detection, negatively impacting clinical outcomes and increasing the risk of treatmentrelated complications compared to elderly patients. Pathomorphology of tumors detected in young women is characterized by poorly differentiated cells, increased Ki67 expression, the presence of gene mutations, and a predominance of HER2-positive and triple-negative immunohistochemical subtypes. Despite these evident differences, research on breast cancer in young women remains insuffcient, creating gaps in understanding its risk factors, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. A lack of age-specifc clinical data and outcomes hinders the adaptation of standard treatment approaches, developed for elderly patients, to the needs of young women.
Conclusion. Further research is needed to collect age-specifc clinical data and develop novel treatment strategies for breast cancer in young women, ultimately improving treatment outcomes and identifying promising research directions in this area.

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