Increased incidence of Breast cancer in women under 40 has set alarm bells ringing for medical practitioners. Shielding young girls from Breast Cancer should be our foremost concern in our restorative concerns for posterity. International Conference on Young Women’s Breast Cancer and Health, scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in New Delhi to address this menace.
Breast Cancer in Young Women in proliferating in the context of increased prevalence of toxins in our immediate environment and lack of a safety mindset.This pernicious and largely lethal disease is currently seen to be mainly affecting women under 40— in India and worldwide, with the trend expected to continue until 2040 in India.
This rise is partly due to limited awareness of breast cancer and its preventable risk factors among young adults, lack of self-breast care, and the absence of screening programs for this age group, along with biological factors that are still poorly understood.
This concerning trend not only threatens the lives of young women but also presents unique medical, personal, and social challenges that are not usually seen in older patients.
To address this gap, the Breast Cancer in Young Women (BCYW) Foundation’s global partner, Indian Oncology Foundation (IOF), is hosting its second international conference on Young Women’s Breast Cancer and Health, on November 15–16, 2025, in New Delhi.
The conference would be chaired by Dr. Ashok Vaid, Chairman of Medanta Cancer Institute and Founder of the Indian Oncology Foundation, and Prof. Rakesh Kumar, PhD, Founder and CEO of the BCYW Foundation, USA, and International Endowed Chair Professor at Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun.
“Today’s 18-year-old is tomorrow’s at-risk woman,” said Prof. Kumar. “We must dismantle the misconception that breast cancer is only a disease of older women. Eighty-five percent of cases are not linked to family history—timely awareness and proactive self-care are key to early detection. I believe that early empowerment of young women will have a lasting impact on women’s health and lives.”
This groundbreaking conference will bring together global thought leaders, medical pioneers, and advocates to address key issues in breast cancer in young women. As a pioneering event in India and Asia, it will gather a diverse, multidisciplinary group of national and international experts involved in breast cancer research and treatment, including Nobel Laureate and renowned biochemist Dr. Aaron Ciechanover, from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Prof. Michael Gnant from Vienna, Austria, who chairs the famous Saint Gallen Breast Cancer Consensus Meeting.
In addition to medical specialists, the conference will feature voices of breast cancer survivors and advocates, including acclaimed Indian actress Mahima Chaudhry.
Its main goal is to equip healthcare professionals and young women with essential knowledge, prevention strategies, actionable insights, and treatment options.
Submitted by :Anjali Nauriyal, PhD, BCYW Foundation’s Global Ambassador – Uttarakhand
