Pregnancy 'does not increase breast cancer death risk'

Women who have survived breast cancer will not increase their risk of the disease returning if they fall pregnant, according to a new study.

Research carried out by experts from Belgium and Italy has shown that women do not increase their likelihood of secondary breast cancer by having a child.

Currently, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists advises women not to have children until five years after treatment, but the new study, presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona, suggested otherwise.

Following meta-analysis of 14 trials, experts determined that pregnancy is safe for breast cancer survivors.

It covered trials that had taken place between 1970 and 2009 involving 1,417 pregnant women with a history of breast cancer and 18,059 former sufferers who were not pregnant.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Caitlin Palframan, a spokeswoman for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said it is still difficult to establish a link between pregnancy and breast cancer recurrence.

"We still don't fully understand whether pregnancy after breast cancer can affect the chances of surviving the disease so research like this is key, helping to add to our knowledge in this area," she said.

She added that it is important that women who wish to get pregnant following breast cancer have more information about any potential effect it may have on their chances of long-term survival.

"We look forward to seeing the full results of this research and would advise any woman with concerns about this issue to discuss it with her doctor," Dr Palframan concluded.

Posted by James McCann

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