Key clinical point: A diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) within the first 5 years of childbirth was associated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics and unfavorable survival outcomes.
Major finding: Women diagnosed with post-partum BC (PPBC) within 5 years of childbirth showed more aggressive disease characteristics than nulliparous women with BC and women diagnosed with PPBC ≥ 5 years after childbirth (clinical stage T3: 5.9% vs 3.3% and 3.9%, respectively, or higher lymph node metastases: 40.6% vs 27.8% and 34.7%, respectively) and had the worst survival rates (hazard ratio 1.55; P = .004).
Study details: This study retrospectively reviewed 32,628 premenopausal women aged 20-50 years who underwent BC surgery, of which 508 women were nulliparous and 2406 women were diagnosed with BC within 5 years of childbirth.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the Korean Breast Cancer Society. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Paik PS et al for the Korean Breast Cancer Society. Clinical characteristics and prognosis of postpartum breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023 (Aug 5). doi: 10.1007/s10549-023-07069-w