January 30, 2003 - A breast cancer diagnosis is shocking at any age, but for young women the unexpected news raises many questions. Can I have children? How will I raise my baby? How will I deal with intimacy?
To Virginia Herrmann, MD, these were questions she heard all too often. "The diagnosis of breast cancer is particularly devastating for young women," says Dr. Herrmann, Washington University breast surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Through a grant from the St. Louis Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Dr. Herrmann and her colleagues at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine are offering a new journal to help answer questions for young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The guidance journal titled "the woman is stronger than the disease" features letters written by actual Siteman Cancer Center survivors giving advice on how to deal with breast cancer. The journal also allows women the opportunity to answer their own questions such as "What family roles do you wish to continue during your treatment?" and "What short-term goals have you made during the time you receive treatment?"
"Young women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, as well as their family and friends, contributed to this journal," says Dr. Herrmann, "They have shared, in a very touching way, their experience with the diagnosis, and offer exceptional insight and recommendations to young women who may be newly diagnosed."
"A lot of young women have never had to deal with a significant illness at this point in their lives and they have so many questions," says Jennifer Ivanovich, MS, MBA, counselor with the hereditary cancer program at Washington University School of Medicine.
According to the American Cancer Society, over 10, 000 women under age 40 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, representing only 8.3 percent of women diagnosed. With a number that small, there just isn''t much information out there for young women about how the shock of a breast cancer diagnosis can change their life.
"If you''re a young woman, you may have young children or be interested in pursuing a pregnancy," says Ivanovich. "If you''re 65 and the children are grown you don''t have to face that."
The journal available to women 40 and younger who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It is offered free through the Young Women''s Mentoring Program at Washington University at 314-454-5076.