Study Finds Most Breast Cancer Survivors Can Successfully Have Children
New research from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute offers encouraging news for young breast cancer survivors who hope to have children.
The study followed nearly 200 young women treated for breast cancer and found that, over a median follow-up of 11 years, most who tried to become pregnant conceived and gave birth.
The findings will be presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The authors note that the study addresses several previously unanswered questions about pregnancy and live-birth rates among breast cancer survivors.
“Earlier studies were limited by selected patient subgroups, relatively short follow-up, and a lack of information about whether participants were trying to become pregnant,” says senior author Dr. Ann Partridge, founder and director of the Young and Strong Program for Young Adults with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “This study was designed to address these gaps by tracking pregnancy and live-birth rates among breast cancer patients and survivors.”
Participants came from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, which follows women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger. Of 1,213 eligible participants, 197 reported trying to become pregnant during a median follow-up of 11 years. Their median age at diagnosis was 32, and most had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Participants were regularly surveyed about pregnancy attempts, pregnancies, and births.
During the study, 73% of those who tried to become pregnant conceived and 65% had a live birth. Women who froze eggs or embryos before cancer treatment tended to have higher live-birth rates, while older participants tended to have lower pregnancy and birth rates.
Participants had breast cancer ranging from stage 0, which is noninvasive and confined to the breast, to stage III, which has spread to the lymph nodes. Disease stage at diagnosis was not statistically associated with pregnancy or live birth.
“For many young women with breast cancer, the ability to have children after treatment is a major concern,” says first author Dr. Kimia Sorouri of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “Our findings can help when counseling patients about fertility. The association between egg or embryo freezing before treatment and higher live-birth rates highlights the need for fertility-preservation services for this population.”
News | Study Finds Most Breast Cancer Survivors Can Successfully Have Children
Study Finds Most Breast Cancer Survivors Can Successfully Have Children
New research from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute offers encouraging news for young breast cancer survivors who hope to have children.
The study followed nearly 200 young women treated for breast cancer and found that, over a median follow-up of 11 years, most who tried to become pregnant conceived and gave birth.
The findings will be presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The authors note that the study addresses several previously unanswered questions about pregnancy and live-birth rates among breast cancer survivors.
“Earlier studies were limited by selected patient subgroups, relatively short follow-up, and a lack of information about whether participants were trying to become pregnant,” says senior author Dr. Ann Partridge, founder and director of the Young and Strong Program for Young Adults with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “This study was designed to address these gaps by tracking pregnancy and live-birth rates among breast cancer patients and survivors.”
Participants came from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, which follows women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger. Of 1,213 eligible participants, 197 reported trying to become pregnant during a median follow-up of 11 years. Their median age at diagnosis was 32, and most had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Participants were regularly surveyed about pregnancy attempts, pregnancies, and births.
During the study, 73% of those who tried to become pregnant conceived and 65% had a live birth. Women who froze eggs or embryos before cancer treatment tended to have higher live-birth rates, while older participants tended to have lower pregnancy and birth rates.
Participants had breast cancer ranging from stage 0, which is noninvasive and confined to the breast, to stage III, which has spread to the lymph nodes. Disease stage at diagnosis was not statistically associated with pregnancy or live birth.
“For many young women with breast cancer, the ability to have children after treatment is a major concern,” says first author Dr. Kimia Sorouri of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “Our findings can help when counseling patients about fertility. The association between egg or embryo freezing before treatment and higher live-birth rates highlights the need for fertility-preservation services for this population.”