Pregnancy "safe" after breast treatment

Friday March 26th, 2010

Women who have undergone breast cancer treatment are safe to have babies, researchers report today.

A major new study says pregnancy may improve the prospects of women who have had cancer.

Researchers said increasing numbers of women are asking if they can safely have babies following treatment, partly because many women now put off children until they are in their 30s.

The findings were reported at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Researchers in Italy and Belgium studied findings from 14 studies, involving some 1,400 women who became pregnant after treatment and another 18,000 breast cancer patients.

Women who became pregnant after diagnosis enjoyed a 42 per cent reduced risk of dying they found.

Researcher Dr Hatem Azim said: "Our findings clearly demonstrate that pregnancy is safe in women with history of successfully treated breast cancer. There is a wide perception in the oncology community that women with history of breast cancer should not get pregnant for fear of pregnancy increasing the risk of recurrence by means of hormonal stimulation.

"This meta-analysis strongly argues against this notion."

He added: "It is still common that patients are faced with incorrect counselling regarding pregnancy and the chances of future fertility following the end of breast cancer treatment and, thus, they are denied the chance of getting pregnant."

* A second piece of research reported to the same conference suggests pregnant patients can receive chemotherapy without putting their babies at risk.

Researchers at Frankfurt University, Germany, studied some 235 women and found a small number of complications - including three babies being born bald. Some 91 women had chemotherapy and two lost their babies after birth.

The researchers said they also found complications in babies born to patients who did not have chemotherapy.

* A third study at the conference says that diagnosis of breast cancer after pregnancy is highly dangerous for young women. Researchers found this was linked to a 48 per cent increased risk of dying.

Professor Angela Ives, of The University of Western Australia, Australia, told delegates there could be many explanations for the finding, including delayed diagnosis and hormonal changes during pregnancy.

Tags: Australia | Cancer | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Europe | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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