8 year old girl diagnosed with breast cancer, becomes the youngest case ever

An eight-year-old girl has been diagnosed with breast cancer, in what is thought to be the youngest case ever of the disease.

Chrissy Turner, from Utah, discovered a lump on her chest last month. To her parents' horror, tests revealed she was suffering from a very rare form of breast cancer called secretory carcinoma.

This type of the disease affects just one in a million people diagnosed with the disease - and Chrissy will now need to undergo a mastectomy.

'I was scared the first time I knew about it,' she said. 'But I knew I could fight it off and I hope that I can fight it off.

Both of her parents have suffered from cancer previously. Her mother, Annette, has battled cervical cancer, while her father is currently battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Speaking about her daughter's shocking diagnosis, Mrs Turner said: 'I broke down. It's a struggle every day worrying about my family, about my husband and now my baby girl.'

Chrissy will undergo her surgery operation at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Utah.

In the meantime, friends of the family have started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for medical bills while the Turners vow to stay strong for their daughter.


WHAT IS SECRETORY BREAST CARCINOMA?

• Medical literature describes secretory breast carcinoma as a slow growing breast cancer.
• In the past, secretory carcinoma of the breast was described as a ‘juvenile‘ breast carcinoma as it is the most common type of breast carcinoma in children.
• It may occur at any age, but is mostly seen in people under the age of 30, according to Stanford University.
• It is one of the rarest types of breast carcinomas, accounting for less than 1 per cent of all breast cancers in the US.
• While the prognosis is good, it is prone to spreading and recurring again where it first appeared, so it must be treated aggressively.

Poor girl!