Finding community online after finding a lump: Social media and younger adults with cancer

Research suggests that supports are more likely to be provided to meet the needs of the majority of people with cancer who are older, rather than to younger people with cancer. (Shutterstock)

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that one in eight women will contract breast cancer in their lifetime, making it the most common cancer among Canadian women.

It is also the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 40 years old. Incidence of breast cancer continues to increase among these younger women, though scientists do not yet understand why.