“Died less than two months after diagnosis” ... What is the ‘most aggressive cancer’ that claimed the life of a 27-year-old medical student? [Health Talk]

[Financial News] A 27-year-old Chinese medical student who dreamed of becoming a surgeon and was devoted to hands-on training at a hospital died less than two months after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, causing shock. Breast cancer, once generally considered a disease of middle-aged and older women, is rising sharply among people in their 20s and 30s. And because the disease tends to progress faster at younger ages, the importance of early detection and regular screenings is once again coming into focus.
According to foreign media reports, Lin Suyue, a 27-year-old medical graduate student from Fujian Province, China, was diagnosed with advanced (terminal-stage) breast cancer in tests conducted on September 2. Lin continued battling the illness, but ultimately died on the 27th of last month, about 55 days after the diagnosis, as her condition rapidly worsened.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women both in South Korea and worldwide. In Western countries, it occurs most often among postmenopausal women aged 50 and older. But in East Asia, including South Korea, the proportion of breast cancer patients aged 40 and under—those with ‘young-onset breast cancer’—is relatively higher than in the West.

Specialists agree that breast cancer in people in their 20s and 30s tends to have a poorer prognosis than in older patients.
Breast cancer in young women is more likely to be hormone receptor-negative (including triple-negative breast cancer) or to involve highly malignant cancer cell types. As a result, the cancer grows very quickly and spreads earlier to other organs, including the lymph nodes, lungs, bones and brain. As in Lin’s case, if the cancer is not detected until it has progressed to a terminal stage because early symptoms went unnoticed, treatment options are limited and the risk of rapid deterioration is high.
The high prevalence of dense breasts is another obstacle to early diagnosis. Most young women have ‘dense breasts,’ with tightly packed milk-producing glandular tissue and less fatty tissue. On a standard mammogram (X-ray), both the tissue and tumors appear white, making it difficult to accurately identify lumps or abnormal lesions. The assumption that “I’m young, so surely it can’t be cancer” can compound the problem: it is common for people to find a lump but delay visiting a hospital, allowing the disease to progress.

When breast cancer is detected and treated early, the five-year survival rate is 90% or higher. But once it reaches stage 4 (the terminal stage), with distant metastases beyond the lymph nodes, the survival rate drops sharply to the 30% range. So even young people should not overlook the subtle signals their bodies send.
The most common warning sign is a hard lump that can be felt in the breast or near the armpit, even without significant pain. Other signs can include persistent bloody or clear discharge from one nipple, rather than both, or an indentation in which the nipple or breast skin sinks inward. If the breast skin becomes rough and red, with prominent pores like an orange peel, or the breasts suddenly become markedly asymmetrical in size and shape, do not dismiss it as a simple change. See a specialist immediately for a thorough examination.
Medical experts recommend doing a self-exam within 3 to 5 days after each period ends: look at the shape of your breasts in a mirror and carefully feel them with your finger pads. Those at high risk—particularly people with a mother, sister or other first-degree relative who has had breast or ovarian cancer, or who have a confirmed BRCA gene mutation—should have regular breast ultrasound screenings starting in their 20s.
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter