26 and Facing Breast Cancer: ‘I Was One of the Less Than 1%’

The standard recommendation for women to begin mammogram screenings is at age 40. However, breast cancer cases are increasingly being identified in younger women, with some adolescents as young as 15 being diagnosed. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that Black women, in particular, tend to develop breast cancer at a younger age compared to white women and are more likely to die from the disease. Black women are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype with fewer treatment options. LaShae Rolle, a cancer researcher and student working toward a Ph.D. in Community Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, knows this reality all too well. She was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer in her twenties. BlackDoctor.org spoke with Rolle to discuss the urgent need for increased awareness and education about the rising rates of cancer in young adults, particularly within the Black community. Discovering the Lump and Seeking Answers Rolle, now 27, discovered a small lump in her breast while she was a 26-year-old university student. Initially, she thought it might be fibrous tissue and decided to keep an eye on it. However, the lump...