Abstract
Breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or lactation up to 1 year post-partum is often referred to as pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) , although the definition varies with length of post-partum period. The incidence rate has been reported to range from 17.5 to 39.9 per 100,000 births, but the rate is substantially lower during pregnancy (ranging from 3.0 to 7.7) than during the post-partum period (ranging from 13.8 to 32.2). The PABC incidence rate is increasing in many populations, and higher maternal age at birth is a likely explanation. Linkable population-based data on pregnancies and cancer are required to obtain reliable estimates of PABC incidence. In studies comparing outcomes in women with PABC to other young breast cancer patients, it is crucial to adjust for age, since the age distribution of PABC depends both on age at pregnancy and age at breast cancer. Large studies have shown similar prognosis for women with PABC compared to other young women with breast cancer, when accounting for differences in age, stage and other tumour characteristics.
Keywords
- Age confounding
- Exposure
- Incidence
- Pregnancy risk window
- Prognosis
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Andersson TM, Johansson AL, Fredriksson I, Lambe M (2015) Cancer during pregnancy and the postpartum period: a population-based study. Cancer 121(12):2072–2077
Andersson TM, Johansson AL, Hsieh CC, Cnattingius S, Lambe M (2009) Increasing incidence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer in Sweden. Obstet Gynecol 114(3):568–572
Cottreau CM, Dashevsky I, Andrade SE, Li DK, Nekhlyudov L, Raebel MA et al (2018) Pregnancy-associated cancer: a US population-based study. J Women’s Health 28(2):250–257
Eibye S, Kjær SK, Mellemkjær L (2013) Incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer in Denmark, 1977–2006. Obstet Gynecol 122(3):608–617
Lee YY, Roberts CL, Dobbins T, Stavrou E, Black K, Morris J et al (2012) Incidence and outcomes of pregnancy-associated cancer in Australia, 1994–2008: a population-based linkage study. BJOG 119(13):1572–1582
Parazzini F, Franchi M, Tavani A, Negri E, Peccatori FA (2017) Frequency of pregnancy related cancer: a population based linkage study in Lombardy, Italy. Int J Gynecol Cancer 27(3):613–619
Smith LH, Danielsen B, Allen ME, Cress R (2003) Cancer associated with obstetric delivery: results of linkage with the California cancer registry. Am J Obstet Gynecol 189(4):1128–1135
Stensheim H, Møller B, van Dijk T, Fosså SD (2009) Cause-specific survival for women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or lactation: a registry-based cohort study. J Clin Oncol 27(1):45–51
Johansson AL, Andersson TM, Hsieh CC, Jirström K, Cnattingius S, Fredriksson I et al (2018) Tumor characteristics and prognosis in women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Int J Cancer 142(7):1343–1354
Sankila R, Heinävaara S, Hakulinen T (1994) Survival of breast cancer patients after subsequent term pregnancy: “healthy mother effect”. Am J Obstet Gynecol 170(3):818–823
Amant F, von Minckwitz G, Han SN, Bontenbal M, Ring AE, Giermek J et al (2013) Prognosis of women with primary breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy: results from an international collaborative study. J Clin Oncol 31(20):2532–2539
Azim HA Jr, Santoro L, Russell-Edu W, Pentheroudakis G, Pavlidis N, Peccatori FA (2012) Prognosis of pregnancy-associated breast cancer: a meta-analysis of 30 studies. Cancer Treat Rev 38(7):834–842
Beadle BM, Woodward WA, Middleton LP, Tereffe W, Strom EA, Litton JK et al (2009) The impact of pregnancy on breast cancer outcomes in women≤ 35 years. Cancer 115(6):1174–1184
Bonnier P, Romain S, Dilhuydy JM, Bonichon F, Julien JP, Charpin C et al (1997) Influence of pregnancy on the outcome of breast cancer: a case-control study. Int J Cancer 72(5):720–727
Daling JR, Malone KE, Doody DR, Anderson BO, Porter PL (2002) The relation of reproductive factors to mortality from breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 11(3):235–241
Hartman EK, Eslick GD (2016) The prognosis of women diagnosed with breast cancer before, during and after pregnancy: a meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 160(2):347–360
Johansson AL, Andersson TM, Hsieh CC, Cnattingius S, Lambe M (2011) Increased mortality in women with breast cancer detected during pregnancy and different periods postpartum. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 20(9):1865–1872
Moreira WB, Brandão EC, Soares AN, Lucena CE, Antunes CM (2010) Prognosis for patients diagnosed with pregnancy-associated breast cancer: a paired case-control study. Sao Paulo Med J 128(3):119–124
Rodriguez AO, Chew H, Cress R, Xing G, McElvy S, Danielsen B et al (2008) Evidence of poorer survival in pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Obstet Gynecol 112(1):71–78
Whiteman MK, Hillis SD, Curtis KM, McDonald JA, Wingo PA, Marchbanks PA (2004) Reproductive history and mortality after breast cancer diagnosis. Obstet Gynecol 104(1):146–154
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johansson, A.L.V., Stensheim, H. (2020). Epidemiology of Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer. In: Alipour, S., Omranipour, R. (eds) Diseases of the Breast during Pregnancy and Lactation. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1252. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41596-9_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41596-9_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41595-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41596-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)