‘Beyond the Pink’ Author Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky on the Rising Rates of Young Women With Breast Cancer and the Support They Need

Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, a breast and gynecologic medical oncologist at Valley Health System, has watched this shift firsthand. What was once rare is now a growing part of her daily practice: young women facing one of the most life‑altering diagnoses imaginable.

Her upcoming book, Beyond the Pink: Navigating Life, Health, and Breast Cancer, aims to give these younger patients what they’ve long needed: an honest, compassionate, and practical guide tailored to their experience.

WATCH: Dr. Teplinsky Hosts SurvivorNet’s ‘Breast Cancer Dialogues’ Series

Set for release on September 29th, “it really is a patient-centered guide to breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and what comes after and everything we’re not talking about but should be,” Dr. Teplinsky told SurvivorNet.

A Rising Trend That Can’t Be Ignored

When Dr. Teplinsky began practicing, breast cancer in young adults was uncommon. But she says over the past decade, she has witnessed a striking shift.

“When I started practicing, it was really unusual to have a young person in their 20s or 30s be diagnosed. It happened, but it was rare. And over the last decade it has become much more common.”

The numbers reflect her experience. Breast cancer rates in women under 50 are rising steadily, according to research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published in JAMA Network Open.

“What we are seeing is really a rise in breast cancer that is going up by about 1.4% annually in women younger than 50,” Dr. Teplinsky explains to SurvivorNet.

This trend brings unique medical, emotional, social, and financial challenges that younger patients often feel unprepared to navigate.

The Complex Realities Younger Patients Face

A breast cancer diagnosis in early adulthood intersects with major life milestones: building careers, forming relationships, raising children, planning families, and establishing independence. Treatment can disrupt all of it.

Dr. Teplinsky emphasizes that younger patients face layers of complexity that require more tailored support.

“There are so many things that they are facing that we need to better support them through, whether that be treatment-related menopause, whether that be thinking about relationships and parenting and fertility and pregnancy after breast cancer, whether that be mental health and sexual health, you name it.”

These are topics that often go unaddressed in traditional clinical conversations — yet they shape a patient’s quality of life just as much as the medical treatment itself. This helped fuel Dr. Teplinsky’s desire to write Beyond the Pink.

Dr. Teplinsky’s goal is not just to educate, but to validate—to help patients see themselves reflected in the experiences of others.

“I kept getting asked over and over again, what book should I read? And so I wrote it,” she said. “My goal is that people will maybe see themselves in one of these stories and say, ‘I’m not alone. This is very common.’”

Including Every Patient—Especially Those With Metastatic Disease

Dr. Teplinsky is intentional about ensuring that her book speaks to all women with breast cancer, including those living with metastatic disease.

“For a population of our women who live with metastatic disease, they’ll never be done with treatment. And I really want to make sure that they were included in this book.”

Their experiences, she notes, are often overlooked or underrepresented in mainstream breast cancer narratives. Beyond the Pink aims to change that.

Metastatic breast cancer, also called stage 4 breast cancer, means the cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to distant areas of the body.

WATCH: Understanding Stage 4 Breast Cancer

While there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, doctors have a lot of options to treat this stage of advanced disease. One advantage of being such a common cancer is that breast cancer has been the focus of much research.

What scientists have learned in the lab has translated into new and breakthrough treatments that are dramatically improving the outlook for people with this cancer.

So, if you have been diagnosed, your doctor will work with you to identify the treatment options best suited to your specific cancer and circumstances.

 

WATCH: Dr. Teplinsky Moderates SurvivorNet’s ‘Breast Cancer Dialogues’ Series

Breast cancer care doesn’t end when treatment does. Survivorship, long‑term side effects, emotional recovery, and rebuilding identity are all part of the journey. Dr. Teplinsky’s book is designed to help patients navigate not just the medical path, but the life path that follows.

With Beyond the Pink, she hopes to give patients—and the people who love them—a resource that is honest, supportive, and deeply human.

When to Screen for Breast Cancer

Screening guidelines vary somewhat by organization, but have converged in recent years toward starting earlier.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts, finalized a 2024 recommendation that women get mammograms every other year from ages 40 through 74 — down from its previous guidance of age 50.

Previously, the task force advised women in their 40s to make an individualized decision with their clinician about when to begin screening. The updated guidance may be especially important for Black women, who are about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms for women ages 45 to 54, then every other year from 55 on — though women 55 and older who want added reassurance can continue annual screening.

WATCH: Mammograms are still the best tool for detecting breast cancer.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, an inherited mutation that raises breast cancer risk, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.

Starting menstruation before age 12 and having dense breasts can also raise breast cancer risk. Dense breasts may also make mammograms harder to interpret, so it is important to discuss your personal risk and the right screening plan with your doctor.

Regular Self-Exams Are Helpful In Between Mammograms

Being familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel can help you notice changes and report them promptly to your doctor.

Knowing your breasts does not replace recommended mammograms, but it can help you recognize a change that deserves medical attention.

WATCH: How to perform a self-exam.

Checking for signs of redness, rashes, or discharge is also part of this exam. If anything is found that is concerning, you should contact your doctor. It’s important to note that self-exams should be performed alongside regular mammograms.

For young women facing breast cancer, support must extend beyond treating the disease itself. It should include honest conversations about fertility, relationships, mental health, sexuality, parenting, career goals, and the uncertain path ahead.

Through Beyond the Pink, Dr. Teplinsky hopes patients will find both practical guidance and a sense of recognition — reminders that their concerns are valid, their experiences matter, and they do not have to navigate breast cancer alone.

 

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