SABCS: Following Breast Cancer, 22% Of Young BRCA Carriers Get Pregnant

(CTN News) – A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Breast Cancer revealed that 22% of young individuals with the BRCA gene mutation were able to conceive within a decade after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

The research, conducted by Matteo Lambertini, M.D., and his colleagues from the University of Genova in Italy, involved a retrospective cohort study at 78 medical centers across the globe.

The study included a total of 4,732 individuals who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at the age of 40 or younger between January 2000 and December 2020.

This significant finding was presented during the San Antonio Cancer Symposium, which took place from December 5 to 9 in San Antonio.

The study revealed that out of the participants, 659 individuals experienced at least one pregnancy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, while 4,073 did not.

Over 10 years, the cumulative incidence of pregnancy was 22 percent, with a median duration of 3.5 years from the time of breast cancer diagnosis to conception. Among those who became pregnant, 6.9 percent underwent induced abortions, and 9.7 percent experienced miscarriages.

A total of 517 patients completed their pregnancies, with 91.0 percent delivering at full term and 10.4 percent having twins. Out of the 470 infants born with documented information on pregnancy complications, only 0.9 percent had congenital anomalies.

During a median follow-up period of 7.8 years, there was no significant difference in disease-free survival between patients who had a pregnancy after breast and those who did not. However, patients who had a pregnancy showed significantly better breast cancer-specific and overall survival rates.

The authors state that their findings can provide valuable insights for counseling young BRCA carriers who wish to conceive after being diagnosed with breast cancer. It is worth noting that several authors have disclosed their affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry.

SEE ALSO:

Black Breast Cancer Alliance And Bexa Have a Strong Partnership.

Dengue Situation Improves With Decreasing Temperature.