Safety of Pregnancy After Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Pregnancy in breast cancer survivors, even those with estrogen receptor–positive disease, does not seem to affect survival up to 7 years postpartum, according to a new study. The study results, which were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute by Hatem Azim Jr, MD, PhD, of the American University of Beirut, and colleagues, should guide treating physicians in advising these young patients who may be considering pregnancy.
“Our updated results provide reassuring evidence on the long-term safety of pregnancy in breast cancer survivors, including those with [estrogen receptor]–positive disease,” the authors stated.
The multicenter case-control study included 333 patients who became pregnant after breast cancer, matched with 874 nonpregnant patients. Patients were matched by estrogen receptor status, nodal status, adjuvant treatments, age, and year of diagnosis.
The median follow-up time was 7.2 years. The researchers found that pregnancy produced no difference in disease-free survival for either estrogen receptor–positive (hazard ratio = 0.94) or estrogen receptor–negative patients (hazard ratio = 0.75). Overall survival was better in estrogen receptor–negative patients (hazard ratio = 0.57), although there was no apparent difference in estrogen receptor–positive patients (hazard ratio = 0.84). “Abortion, time to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and type of adjuvant therapy had no impact on patients’ outcomes,” the authors noted.
