While there is no accepted definition of ‘young’ regarding breast cancer, younger women have been defined in previous guidelines as women aged 40 or younger at breast cancer diagnosis (Poggio et al. 2018). In 2020, it was estimated that 23 per cent of all new cancer cases diagnosed for Australian women aged 20–39 were for breast cancer (Cancer Australia 2020f). Younger women with breast cancer are likely to face different challenges including:

• early menopause
• fertility and sexuality issues
• role functions including partnering, caring for young children, education and carer issues
• self-image.

Compared with older women, these concerns may contribute to higher levels of psychological distress following diagnosis.