ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Assessing How Pregnancy and Breastfeeding May Affect Cancer Risks in BRCA Carriers

Results of a recently published study suggested that pregnancy after breast cancer in BRCA carriers does not lead to a worse outcome in women or their fetuses.1 This information is reassuring for BRCA carriers who have had a prior diagnosis of breast cancer and are considering having children. In another study among female BRCA carriers which included ICARE participants, breastfeeding reduced the risk of ovarian cancer.2 The risk reduction was highest in those who breastfed for 7 months or longer and completed childbearing by age 35.

1Lambertini, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Sep. PMID: 32673153. 2Kotsopoulos, et al. Gynecol Oncol. 2020 Dec. PMID: 33010967.

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