The landmark grant will launch the largest global research effort dedicated to early-onset breast cancer
Key Takeaways
- The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Estée Lauder Companies announce $15 million investment into breast cancer in younger women.
- BCRF has been the largest private funder of breast cancer research in younger women for years. This gift will double the Foundation’s investment, catapulting BCRF to become the largest global funder of breast cancer research in younger women—surpassing even government funding.
- This new investment will significantly move the needle towards understanding how the disease behaves in younger women—why the disease is more aggressive and what we can do about it.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) received a $15 million, multi-year gift from The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation to fuel the first-of-its kind research coalition to address the alarming rise of breast cancer in younger women.
The investment will establish the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Global Research Initiative on Breast Cancer in Younger Women, a first-of-its-kind research coalition dedicated to investigating the biological factors driving early-onset breast cancer and improving approaches to risk prediction, prevention, early detection and treatment.
While research in this area has been severely underfunded, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation has been leading the way for years. Thanks to BCRF-funded research we are already making headway in understanding postpartum breast cancer and helping young women navigate pregnancy after diagnosis. Yet the problem has outpaced research. Incidence is rising at twice the rate in younger women as compared to older women. Through the largest coordinated global research program of its kind, scientists from around the world will work together to unravel the biological factors of early-onset breast cancer. The important work of BCRF scientists will seek to find critical new insights and improve approaches to risk prediction, prevention, early detection, and treatment.
Breast cancer is more common with age, but it is increasingly being diagnosed before age 45. U.S. Cancer Statistics data show that incidence in women younger than 45 rose 1.1% per year from 2012 to 2022—an increase of roughly 11% over the decade. Other analyses have found that rates are rising about twice as fast among women under 50 as among older women.
These diagnoses often come during pivotal years of family building, caregiving, and career growth. They can also present a different clinical challenge: Breast cancers in younger women are more likely to have aggressive features, progress quickly, and include distinct forms such as postpartum breast cancer. Some estimates suggest that women diagnosed before age 40 are nearly 40% more likely to die from the disease than those diagnosed older, reflecting both tumor biology and later-stage diagnosis.
“The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has always been at the vanguard of addressing persistent challenges in the disease and is proud to have already been advancing the largest body of research in younger women. The alarming rise in incidence among this demographic warrants a global response to fund the scientists who are in a race to find answers. We are deeply grateful to our partners at The Estée Lauder Companies, whose groundbreaking donation makes this unprecedented global initiative possible and creates an opportunity to fundamentally advance our understanding of the disease and improve outcomes for younger patients,” said Donna McKay, president and CEO, Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Since BCRF was founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, The Estée Lauder Companies and its Charitable Foundation have funded more than $123 million in lifesaving breast cancer research. Together, the organizations have helped build a global model for advancing scientific discovery and translating research into better care.
“The Estée Lauder Companies has a longstanding commitment to advancing breast cancer research, and I know my mother, Evelyn H. Lauder, would be so proud to see us carry her vision forward. She believed deeply in the power of research to change and ultimately save lives. Through this donation, we can expand our understanding of breast cancer in younger women, an area where there is still much to learn. I am grateful to the brilliant scientific researchers whose curiosity, dedication, and discoveries continue to bring us closer to our shared goal of a world free from breast cancer,” said William P. Lauder, chair, Board of Directors, The Estée Lauder Companies, and co-chair, Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
This gift will double the Foundation’s investment, solidifying BCRF as the largest global funder of breast cancer research in younger women—surpassing even government funding.
