While it is not common for women under 40 to develop breast cancer, it is known to happen. Sometimes the naturally-occurring signs of puberty can be confused with the early symptoms of breast cancer in teens. Also, there might benign tumors or breast cysts, which do not develop into cancer. Although this disease is very rare at such as age, it is still good to know the causes, types, and early symptoms of breast cancer in teens as a precaution.

Causes of Breast Cancer in Teens
According to the American Cancer Society, most childhood cancers, including teenage breast cancer, have little to do with lifestyle and dietary habits. Therefore, the most likely cause of breast cancer in teens is gene mutations that occur early in life, perhaps even in the womb. If you combine these mutations with risk factors for cancer, the chances of a person getting breast cancer can increase. Thus, it is necessary to pay attention to the early symptoms of breast cancer in teens. Some of these risk factors include

• Radiation treatment for other types of cancers
• Obesity
• Excessive smoking, drinking, and substance abuse
• Exposure to second-hand smoke
• Unhealthy dietary habits that include consuming lots of junk (processed food)
• Lack of exercise or sedentary lifestyle
• Taking birth-control tablets that contain estrogen
• Family history of breast cancer
• Mutations on the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes

Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer in Teens
For most teenage girls, any lumps or changes in their breasts can be related to normal development or other conditions like fibroadenoma and cystosarcoma phyllodes, which are benign. In fact, doctors find that 90 percent of these lumps are soft, movable, and non-cancerous, unlike cancerous lumps that are hard with irregular borders. Despite this, some early symptoms of breast cancer in teens that you need to know about are

• Cancerous lump on the breast
• Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck and armpit
• Itchiness and a scale-like rash on the breast
• Sudden, inexplicable changes in the size, symmetry, or shape of the breasts
• Unexplained changes in the skin of the nipples or breast
• Redness or swelling in the breasts
• Dimpling and puckering of the breast skin
• Discharge from the nipples (this can occur due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menstruation as well)
• Pain in the breast that doesn’t go away after menstruation

Types of Breast Cancers in Teens
Just like in older women, breast cancer in teens can be of various types, including

• In-situ Breast Cancer
  This form of cancer occurs only in one breast. Ductal carcinomas and lobular carcinomas are some types of in-situ breast cancers. Generally, in-situ cancers are easier to treat. While in-situ lobular carcinoma is limited to the milk ducts and does not spread, the ductal carcinoma is in-situ in the early stages and might later be invasive.
• Invasive Breast Cancer
  This type of breast cancer spreads beyond the glands and ducts in the breasts to different organs like the lungs, liver, and brain. Invasive breast cancer, if not treated on time, can be highly dangerous, and sometimes fatal.