{"id":46770,"date":"2024-09-08T22:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fabe9075fb29297b17169c185f1c7484"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:11:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:11:47","slug":"studies-provide-first-evidence-that-breastfeeding-after-breast-cancer-is-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/studies-provide-first-evidence-that-breastfeeding-after-breast-cancer-is-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Studies Provide First Evidence That Breastfeeding after Breast Cancer Is Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Two international studies presented at the ESMO Congress 2024 show no increase in recurrence or new breast cancers in women who breastfeed after being treated for breast cancer.<\/li>\n<li>Results provide the first evidence that breastfeeding after breast cancer is feasible and safe in young women who want this option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lugano, Switzerland&nbsp;\u2013 According to two international studies presented at the ESMO Congress 2024, women who breastfeed after receiving treatment for breast cancer, including those with a germline <em>BRCA<\/em> mutation (an inherited change in <em>BRCA<\/em> genes that significantly increases the risk of developing certain cancers, especially breast cancer), do not face an increased risk of recurrence or developing new breast cancers. (1,2)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur study provides the first evidence on the safety of breastfeeding after breast cancer in young women carrying a germline <em>BRCA<\/em> mutation,\u201d said Dr Eva Blondeaux, Oncologist, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy, who will present one of the studies. (1) \u201cThis indicates the possibility for these women to achieve a balance between the needs of the mother and those of the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given the hormone-driven nature of breast cancer, there were previously concerns about pregnancy and breastfeeding after the disease, as both involve changes in hormone levels. This was particularly true for women with the <em>BRCA<\/em> mutation, who remain at high risk of developing a second breast cancer in the other breast. While recent studies showed that neither <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esmo.org\/newsroom\/press-and-media-hub\/esmo-media-releases\/assisted-reproduction-treatments-are-safe-in-young-breast-cancer-survivors-with-high-risk-genes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"link-download\">assisted reproduction treatments<\/a> (3) nor pregnancy are associated with increased risk of recurrence or new cases of breast cancers (4), including in women carrying a germline <em>BRCA<\/em> mutation, until now very little evidence was available on the feasibility and safety of breastfeeding in these women.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope these new findings will improve the way we counsel these patients.&#8221; said Blondeaux. The international study followed up nearly 5000 young women carrying a germline <em>BRCA<\/em> mutation who had survived breast cancer. Nearly one in four of the 474 women who subsequently gave birth breastfed their baby; just under half were unable to breastfeed because they had had both breasts removed to reduce their future cancer risk. After a median follow-up of seven years from giving birth there was no difference in the number of breast cancer recurrences or new breast cancers in women who breastfed their baby compared to those who did not breastfeed (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 0.57-2.06, p=0.82). There was also no difference in disease-free survival or overall survival.<\/p>\n<p>A second new study that expands the investigation beyond <em>BRCA<\/em>, addressing women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer showed similar results, with no risks associated with breastfeeding. (2).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese results are key for women who wish to become pregnant and breastfeed their baby after breast cancer,\u201d said Dr Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, Director of the Fertility &amp; Procreation Unit at the European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy, a co-author of the study.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time to start thinking of breast cancer survivors as women with all the rights, needs and possibilities of women that never had cancer,\u201d he stressed. \u201cDoctors were worried to give these women the chance of having a baby, but we have recently shown that this is safe in the short term. Now, with this new information we can debunk the myth that breastfeeding is neither possible nor safe for breast cancer survivors. They can have a normal pregnancy and relationship with their baby, including breastfeeding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The international POSITIVE study included 518 women who temporarily interrupted their breast cancer treatment to have a baby; 317 had at least one live birth and nearly two in three of them breastfed (62%). At two years from the first live birth the proportion of women with breast cancer recurrence or new breast cancer was similar in those who breastfed (3.6%) as in those that did not breastfeed (3.1%).<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on the results, Dr Maria Alice Franzoi, medical oncologist and researcher at Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, not involved in the study, said: \u201cThere was previously a lack of high-quality data regarding the feasibility and safety of breastfeeding in young women who have been treated for breast cancer. Until now, women and healthcare providers lacked information on whether breastfeeding is feasible after breast cancer surgery, on the safety of pausing adjuvant treatments for breastfeeding and on the hormonal changes related to it\u201d she explained.\u201d However, she cautioned that follow-up of the studies should, ideally, continue for longer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cData from these two studies will be extremely useful to guide our practical discussions with young women diagnosed with breast cancer,\u201d Franzoi continued. \u201cWe should start thinking and discussing about survivorship care planning \u2013 including fertility preservation, pregnancy and breastfeeding for women who want to consider these options \u2013 at the time of diagnosis, so that they are prepared and empowered across the entire breast cancer journey for shared decision making,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n<h3>Notes to Editors<\/h3>\n<p>Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports:<strong>&nbsp;ESMO 2024<\/strong> and the official congress hashtag: <strong>#ESMO24<\/strong>. Follow it to stay up to date and use it to take part in the conversation on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/myESMO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">X (Twitter)<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/european-society-for-medical-oncology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">LinkedIn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/esmo_eur_oncology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esmo.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">Facebook.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Disclaimer<\/h3>\n<p>This press release contains information provided by the author of the highlighted abstract and reflects the content of this abstract. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.<\/p>\n<h3>References<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Blondeaux E, Delucchi V, Mariamidze E et al. Breastfeeding after breast cancer in young BRCA carriers: results from an international cohort study. Abstract 1815O, presented at the ESMO Congress 2024 (13-17 September), Proffered Paper Session on Saturday, 14 September, 14:45-16:25 (CEST) in the Pamplona Auditorium &#8211; Hall 3.<\/li>\n<li>Azim HA, Niman S, Partridge AH et al. Breastfeeding in women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who conceived after temporary interruption of endocrine therapy: Results from the POSITIVE trial. Abstract 1814O. presented at the ESMO Congress 2024 (13-17 September), Proffered Paper Session on Saturday, 14 September, 14:45-16:25 (CEST) in the Pamplona Auditorium &#8211; Hall 3.<\/li>\n<li>Lambertini M, Magaton IM, Hamy-Petit A-S et al. Safety of assisted reproductive techniques in young BRCA carriers with a pregnancy after breast cancer: results from an international cohort study. Abstract 266O presented at ESMO Breast Cancer 2024.<\/li>\n<li>Partridge AH, Niman SM, Ruggeri M et al. Interrupting endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy after breast cancer. NEJM 2023; 388: 1645-1656<\/li>\n<li>Lambertini M, Blondeaux E, Agostinetto E et al. Pregnancy after breast cancer in young BRCA carriers. An international hospital-based cohort study. JAMA 2024; 331: 49-59<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esmo.org\/newsroom\/press-and-media-hub\/esmo-media-releases\/studies-provide-first-evidence-that-breastfeeding-after-breast-cancer-is-safe\">Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two international studies presented at the ESMO Congress 2024 show no increase in recurrence or new breast cancers in women who breastfeed after being treated for breast cancer. Results provide the first evidence that breastfeeding after breast cancer is feasible and safe in young women who want this option. Lugano, Switzerland&nbsp;\u2013 According to two international [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46918,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46770\/revisions\/46918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}