CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New research from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation shows more cases in younger women.

A Charlotte woman is facing her breast cancer diagnosis with a positive attitude.

“Work has been my home away from home. I actually feel better at work dealing with this cancer journey that I've been going through,” Amandalis Adames said. 

What You Need To Know

  • The number of breast cancer diagnoses have been on the rise over the last five years. 

  • New research from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation is also showing more cases in younger women. 

  • A young woman in Charlotte is facing her diagnosis head on with a positive attitude.  

It’s the support of her coworkers that Adames said makes a difference.  

“They don’t treat me any different. They also made me feel that I'm not alone. They make me feel very special here,” she said.

Adames was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after Christmas last year.   

“I’m currently on my third type of chemo, so my first chemo triggered my tumor. This was my last chemo that I did, and I got to ring the bell,” Adames said. 

At just 31, she’s heard people say she’s too young to have breast cancer, but she said a cancer diagnosis can happen to anyone.

“A lot of people question why me or why this. It’s not really about why you, because I’m not more special than any other person,” Adames said. 

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 20-49. 

Dr. Kimberly Strickland with the Novant Health Cancer Institute said it is not yet known why breast cancer is showing up more in younger women, but research has been ongoing. 

“I think there’s some theories, possibly about alcohol intake, obesity, possibly environmental factors, but I don’t think it’s fully understood why. But there’s ongoing research to try and figure this out,” Strickland said.

She said self-examinations and knowing your family history matters. 

“If you have a family history, patients should be starting 10 years before the youngest breast cancer in your family. Knowing your family history can be really important to early detection and potentially cure, higher chances of cure for an early-stage breast cancer,” Strickland said.

Adames says cancer has not stopped her from living her life, and keeping a positive outlook has helped her during treatment.

“I’ve always had a positive attitude going through this and that really helped my journey as well. They say I'm always smiling, and I didn’t let cancer define my personality,” Adames said.