Increase in breast cancer in younger women, the story of an El Paso woman

EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- As Breast Cancer Awareness Month continues, experts are stressing the importance of early detection and regular screenings - especially for younger women. 

ABC-7 spoke to Claudia Sanchez, an oncology navigator at the Hospitals of Providence, who emphasizes women need to prioritize their annual mammograms, which help treat the cancer at an early and curable stage.

Miriam Fonseca, a local breast cancer warrior, was diagnosed when she was just 32-years-old. “I remember because it was so shocking that my whole body, like, kind of froze. And I was like, wow, I can believe it.” 

Fonseca noticed unusual symptoms after the birth of her first child. At first doctors ruled out breast cancer, as she has no family history, was in healthy condition, and was young. Fonseca underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, but in 2023 she was told the cancer returned. 

Now, at 34-years-old, as she has one cycle left of her chemotherapy, Fonseca says she could not have gone through the journey without her faith and support from family and friends. She has also started a support group, Rosa Fuerte, to help other women in the Borderland, “We started with that mission to promote and to get women that are passing through this process to come and share their stories, to come and feel like us.”

Fonseca emphasizes and encourages women to get their screenings, “Go ahead and do it, especially in this month that it's created for us for just,” she says. “There is a lot of places where they do it for free.” 

Sanchez, who is Fonseca’s cancer navigator says women should begin yearly mammograms at age 40. However, those with higher risk factors, such as a family history or genetic mutations, may need to start earlier.

A new study from the American Cancer Society found an increase in breast cancer, among younger women under fifty.