Strengthening the First Shield: BCYW Foundation and AIIMS Rishikesh Lead Global Dialogue on Breast Cancer in Young Women

Uniting breast cancer experts, survivors, and advocates to advance early detection and empower young women to reduce diagnostic delays.

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, November 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After successfully organizing the 2nd International Conference on Breast Cancer in Young Women and Breast Health, held in New Delhi on November 15-16, Professor Rakesh Kumar and a few invited international speakers traveled to Uttarakhand to promote the core BCYW awareness message to educational institutions. The first of such planned BCYW Foundation activities was an international symposium on breast cancer in young women.

AIIMS Rishikesh, through its Center of Excellence in Nursing Education and Research (CENER), in collaboration with the Breast Cancer in Young Women Foundation (BCYW Foundation), USA, successfully organized the International Symposium on Breast Cancer in Young Women on November 18, 2025. The landmark event brought together national and international experts, academicians, clinicians, and nursing professionals to address the growing global and national burden of breast cancer in young women.

The symposium was held under the leadership of Dr. Meenu Singh, Director, AIIMS Rishikesh, and addressed by Dr. Jaya Chaturvedi (Dean Academics), Dr. Satya Sree Balija (Medical Superintendent), Dr. Anita Rani Kansal (CNO), and conference chairs Dr. Smriti Arora (Principal, CENER) and Dr. Rakesh Kumar (CEO, BCYW Foundation, USA). The event was widely covered in the local media, including: https://www.newspost.live/en/bcyw-foundation-strengthening-youth-led-breast-health-initiatives/

The event commenced with the registration of more than 250 delegates representing nursing colleges across Uttarakhand. The opening included a walk-through of the posters prepared by the nursing students and a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony. Welcome remarks highlighted the urgent need to address the rapidly rising incidence of breast cancer in young women, underscoring lifestyle, environmental, and genetic risk factors. Leaders emphasized the importance of expanding screening access and ensuring early detection.

Nursing students presented educational posters focusing on breast cancer awareness, symptoms, prevention strategies, and self-examination techniques, reflecting strong engagement from future health professionals.

SCIENTIFIC SESSION
A series of scientific lectures and interactive presentations covered themes central to understanding and combating breast cancer in young women. Experts discussed breast health fundamentals, global incidence patterns, early detection challenges, surgical approaches, and fertility-preserving techniques. Additional sessions explored personalized treatment models, including tumor biology–driven protocols. The symposium was enriched with global as well as national perspectives of the faculty:
• Dr. Smirit Arora (India) focused on breast health, the core of women’s health, and articulated a complete overview and management of the critical components of breast health.
• Dr. Rakesh Kumar (USA) discussed the issues affecting the understanding and the increasing incidences of breast cancer in young women and focused on the modifiable, preventable, science-supported risk factors.
• Dr. Farhanul Huda (India, a Global Ambassador of the BCYW Foundation) discussed contralateral mastectomies, breast-conserving surgeries, oncofertility integration, and the importance of educating patients on breast reconstruction options.
• Dr. Marie JV Peeters (The Netherlands) shared insights on precision oncology for young women.
• Ms. Lorna Larsen (Canada) presented community-based awareness models through the Team Shan initiative.
• Ms. Josefa Cortes (Chile) demonstrated the Palpa device for breast self-examination, highlighting its potential for widespread adoption to promote early detection.
Collectively, these sessions underscored the necessity of innovation, early targeted interventions, and the integration of young women’s perspectives into breast cancer care pathways.

EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION: Outreach Strategies for Young Women’s Breast Health
A dedicated panel discussion examined grassroots outreach and capacity building for breast cancer awareness in India. The panel—featuring experts from HIMS, AIIMS Rishikesh, and the State College of Nursing—addressed critical challenges, including limited awareness, cultural stigma, healthcare hesitancy, and the lack of year-round community programs.
Dr. Vartika Saxena - a Global Ambassador of the BCYW Foundation - who chaired the panel, opened by emphasizing India’s disproportionate burden of breast cancer in young women and highlighting a troubling statistic: only 0.2% of women in Uttarakhand have ever undergone a breast examination. She stressed the urgent need for mindset change, systematic screening pathways, and continuous awareness efforts beyond Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Panel contributions included:
• Dr. Avni: Continuous community engagement efforts and educational outreach at HIMS Dehradun.
• Dr. Anusha: Treatment modalities at AIIMS Rishikesh and the need for research to make interventions more accessible for young women.
• Dr. Rashmi Rawat: Cultural barriers and the importance of sensitive, sustained health education.
• Dr. Anmol Mahani: The necessity for not just regular screening, but robust follow-up systems.
• Dr. Meenakshi Khapre: Successes from the SHE Programme—training frontline health workers, conducting community-based screening camps, and strengthening field-level awareness.
Panelists collectively emphasized the role of families—especially men—in supporting breast health literacy, the importance of adolescent education, and the expanded role of nurses as frontline educators who can reach underserved communities.

A message resonating throughout the session came from Dr. Anmol, who stated, “Awareness is the first shield every woman deserves in the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer may change lives—but united communities can change outcomes.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS
In her concluding remarks, Dr. Vartika Saxena underlined the urgent need to redefine public health messaging on breast cancer. She stated, “Breast cancer in young women is not a rare event anymore—what is rare, unfortunately, is early examination and timely detection. Screening must always lead to solutions, not anxiety.” She highlighted the value of further strengthening diagnostic pathways, year-round awareness efforts, and targeted early intervention as a part of a structured program, as is the case with the BCYW Foundation's Youth Council for Breast Health (YCBH) Chapters on campuses.

A SHARED VISION FORWARD
The International Symposium reaffirmed BCYWF’s global mission—to ensure that young women everywhere receive timely information, support, and access to early detection resources. AIIMS Rishikesh and partnering institutions echoed the commitment to advancing breast cancer awareness, empowering healthcare providers, and ensuring that young women in even the most underserved communities are not left behind.
Breast cancer in young women changes lives - but uniting campuses for a targeted grassroots interventional program to change outcomes.

ABOUT
The BCYW Foundation is a global organization with a presence in 29 countries dedicated to advancing research, raising awareness, and providing support to young women affected by breast cancer. Through partnerships and advocacy, the foundation is committed to creating a future where no young woman feels overlooked in her fight against this disease. More recently, BCYW Foundation launched The Youth Council for Breast Health (YCBH), a global initiative to transform the future of young women’s health at campuses by raising awareness about breast health, breast cancer symptoms, and risk factors.

The BCYW Foundation relies on individual contributions and sponsors to raise the funds necessary to support its mission. Donate to BCYW Foundation: Every contribution – big or small – helps the BCYW Foundation fulfill its mission to save the lives of young women from breast cancer in the years to come. Thank you for your generosity.

Rakesh Kumar, Ph.D., Founder and CEO
Breast Cancer in Young Women Foundation
bcywf@breastcancerinyoungwomen.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.