Facing the camera, cap screwed on the head, but in doubt, the British singer Jessie I made a private announcement to her fans this Wednesday. At the same time as the release of his new title No secretsthe young woman learned to have breast cancer. However, a diagnosis that occurred at an early stage, it specifies, however.
Share your test to get a taboo
Visibly moved, the 37 -year -old woman confided publicly to “lift a taboo“:” Cancer is horrible in all its forms, but I hang on to the word “early ‘”she said. “I know how much sharing helped me in the past, thanks to the love and support that I have received, but also thanks to the testimonies of others. I am an open book” She says before adding that she was going to undergo surgery this month.
“It is a very dramatic way to have your breasts redone. I will disappear for a while after the Summertime Ball (a music festival) to have myself operated, and I will come back with huge breasts and even more music” LShe drunk with hope.
This is not the first time that Jessie I showed such transparency on her private life. In 2023, she had talked about her miscarriage. In the media, she also speaks openly about the minor stroke that she suffered at the age of 18, as well as the Ménière syndrome which she is affected.
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Does breast cancer progress in women under the age of 40?
Jessie J in England, Caroline Receiver, or Alice Detollenaere in France, for several months, there are several young women under 40 to speak publicly about their breast cancer. But has this one became more present among young women?
If breast cancer remains more frequent after 50 years, the data indeed shows an increase in its incidence in younger women. According to the Curie Institute, “Breast cancer affects 58,459 women each year. If the median age at diagnosis is 64 years, almost 3,000 women are under 40 years of age. Their incidence has increased in recent years in almost all age groups, with an average increase of +1.1 % per year between 1990 and 2018 and +0.6 % per year over the recent period 2010-2018”.
Fortunately, this type of cancer retains a good prognosis, even among the youngest: “Breast cancer is a good prognosis cancer regardless of age. In young women, before 45, survival is high (90 % at 5 years), almost identical to that of other women (92 % at 5 years old between 45 and 75 years old) “ underlines the institute.
A mathematical effect that also plays
In a previous article Dr. Cloud, an oncologist surgeon at the Breast Institute, invited to put this apparent progression into perspective:
“There is more and more cancer in young women but it is because there are more and more cancer. The rate of breast cancer in women under 40 is 5 %. We have increased in two the number of breast cancers of the young woman but we also increased by two the total number of breast cancers. So the rate of breast cancer for those under 40 is identical.”
This overall increase is part of a broader trend, confirmed by the National Cancer Institute (INCA) in its latest panorama of cancers:
‘Between 1990 and 2023, the number of new cases of cancer doubled, with a 98 % increase in cancers in men and 104 % in women, all locations combined. This increase is mainly linked to demographic developments (in size and structure) and secondarily to an increase in the risk of cancer “.
The role of environmental factors and screening
Certain explanations specific to the young population are advanced by doctors. For Dr. Hanene Boudabous, oncologist in the private hospital group Ambroise Paré Hartmann and at the Rafaël Institute:
“”These breast cancers in women under the age of 40 are increasing, especially because of the better known family history than before and certain environmental factors such as endocrine disruptors, but also smoking and stress. In consultation I was unfortunately noted a rejuvenation of patients … It is absolutely necessary to highlight individual screening, especially in women with family history of breast cancer. The earlier the diagnosis, the more it saves us time and have a good chance of healing. “
Far from an alarmist phenomenon, this trend mainly calls for better information and targeted screening. Because even if breast cancer in young women remains rare in proportion, the chances of healing are largely based on the precocity of care.