Abstract Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women of reproductive age. Given limited data describing the conception and pregnancy experience of young BC survivors, we sought to explore these outcomes to inform counseling of women interested in future childbearing. Methods: Participants with stage 0-III BC in the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Study (NCT01468246), a multi-center, prospective cohort of women diagnosed at age ≤ 40 from 2006-2016 who reported ≥ 1 live birth from a pregnancy after diagnosis were sent a survey with investigator-developed questions focused on their first post-diagnosis live birth. Women who had been diagnosed with BC during pregnancy were excluded from this analysis. The survey assessed conception, use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT), endocrine therapy (ET), and peripartum complications. Summary statistics are presented. Results: 92/119 eligible women completed the survey (response rate: 77%). Median age at diagnosis was 32 (range:17-40) years and at delivery was 37 (range: 29-47) years. Median time from diagnosis to delivery was 58 months (range: 11-154). Most women had stage 2 BC (43%, 40/92); 68% received chemotherapy (63/92); about half (51%, 47/92) were nulligravida at diagnosis. Overall, 61% of pregnancies were conceived naturally (56/92) and 39% with ART (36/92): 32% by in-vitro fertilization (IVF, 29/92), 7% with fertility medications only (6/92), and 1 with intrauterine insemination. 38% of IVF pregnancies were conceived using products from fertility preservation prior to BC treatment (11/29). Among women who used ART, 74% attempted to conceive naturally (25/36) for a median of 9 (range: 2-48) months prior to pursuing ART. The most common reasons for pursuing ART include infertility following BC treatment (33%, 12/36) and expediting conception to resume treatment (17%, 6/36). 11% of those with known inherited pathologic variant mutations underwent PGT (2/19). Reasons for not pursuing PGT included belief in more effective cancer risk reduction in the future (29%, 5/17), not being offered PGT (24%, 4/17), high cost (12%, 2/17), no interest in IVF (12%, 2/17), acceptable odds for inheriting the mutation (24%, 4/17), and belief in other risk reduction strategies (18%, 3/17); 1 woman reported ethical concerns. Of 57 women who took ET pre-pregnancy (63%), nearly all (96%, 55/57) discontinued ET > 3 months prior to attempting to conceive; 1 discontinued after awareness of pregnancy. Of those who had received prior ET, 60% resumed ET (34/57) a median of 3 (range: 1-50) months after pregnancy. Among 23 women who did not resume, 13 (23%) had completed the recommended duration; the remaining 10 reported one or more of the following reasons: felt better while off (28%, 6/23), desire for another child (22%, 5/23), and desire to breastfeed (17%, 4/23). Median time to delivery was 39 (range: 28-42) weeks with 12% delivering preterm < 37 weeks (11/92). 47% had a Caesarean section (43/92), with prolonged labor the most common indication (33%, 14/43). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP, 20%, 18/92), gestational diabetes (7%, 6/92), small for gestational age (7%, 6/92), and postpartum hemorrhage (5%, 5/92) were the most common obstetrical complications. 9% of women had newborns requiring NICU admission (8/92) and 9% had low birth weight (8/92). Conclusion: Among young BC survivors with a live birth following diagnosis, most conceived naturally, with the majority who used ART first attempting natural conception. There was limited use of PGT among mutation carriers with ¼ not having been offered testing. Patient reported peripartum complications appear consistent with population norms, though the relatively higher rate of HDP bears further research. Among those yet to complete their ET, a notable proportion did not resume following delivery. This novel data may help to inform the care of young breast cancer survivors pursuing pregnancy. Citation Format: Kimia Sorouri, Tal Sella, Shoshana Rosenberg, Margaret Loucks, Kathryn Ruddy, Shari I. Gelber, Rulla M. Tamimi, Jeffrey M. Peppercorn, Lidia Schapira, Virginia F. Borges, Steven E. Come, Ellen Warner, Ann Partridge. Conception and Pregnancy Among Young Breast Cancer Survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-05.
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Oct 13, 2023
Sapthami Nadesapillai + 13
Open Access
