(Health Korea News / Lee Chang-yong) A study found that breastfeeding after breast cancer treatment reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2024), held in Barcelona, Spain, released two research results containing similar content on the 14th. This is the first study to show that breastfeeding after breast cancer treatment does not increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Researchers at the European Research Center for Cancer Research (IRCCS) in Italy followed about 5,000 young women who survived BRCA-mutated breast cancer. Of these, 474 gave birth, and one in four breastfed. Half of the 474 had both breasts removed, so they could not breastfeed.
The research team followed up on the two groups for seven years. The results showed that there was no difference in the number of breast cancer recurrences or new breast cancers between women who breastfed and those who did not. There was also no difference in the overall survival rate.
Because breast cancer is hormonally influenced, there have been concerns about pregnancy and breastfeeding after breast cancer treatment. Both pregnancy and breastfeeding cause hormonal changes. This concern has been especially great for women with BRCA mutations, as they are at higher risk of developing a second breast cancer in the other breast.
Recent studies have shown that assisted reproductive treatment or pregnancy does not increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence or new breast cancer development in women with BRCA mutations. However, until now, there has been little evidence on whether these women can breastfeed.
“There have been concerns in the past about women recovering from breast cancer having children, but this study shows that it is safe in the short term,” said study co-author Dr. Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, IRCCS. “These women can have normal pregnancies, breastfeed, and have normal relationships with their children.”
A second study, led by the International Breast Cancer Study Group, involved 518 women who had temporarily interrupted their breast cancer treatment to have a baby. Of those, 317 had at least one child, and 62% breastfed.
The proportion of women with a recurrence or new breast cancer two years after their first birth was similar for women who breastfed (3.6%) and those who did not breastfeed (3.1%).
“Preserving a patient’s fertility and a patient care plan, including breastfeeding, should be discussed from the time of diagnosis of breast cancer,” said Dr. Maria Alice Franzoi, an oncologist at the Gustave Roussy cancer treatment center in France. “Only then can patients feel empowered to endure breast cancer treatment.”
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