Does Preeclampsia Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer?

Abstract

J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2015;37(8):736–739 A the outset of their reproductive careers, today’s women face significant health challenges from two relatively common conditions, namely preeclampsia and breast cancer. Depending on the definition used, preeclampsia affects up to 5% of women in their first pregnancy,1 while today’s cohort of young women face an approximate 10% lifetime risk of breast cancer.2 An emerging body of evidence suggests an interaction between these conditions, in that women appear to have a reduced risk of breast cancer following a pregnancy that has been complicated by hypertension, including preeclampsia. Substantial efforts have been made in the past decade to understand the placental basis of transient hypertension and multi-organ dysfunction in preeclampsia, and to identify biomarkers to predict preeclampsia. This knowledge may thus prove invaluable in the fight against breast cancer.