Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis of 35 Cases of Pregnancy-associated Breast Cancer

Objective To assess whether pregnancy affects the survival of pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC), compared with non-PABC.

Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of PABC patients.PABC cases and non-PABC cases were matched with 1:2 according to T stage, molecular classification, age of onset and year of diagnosis.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate DFS and OS, and Log rank test was used for comparison.Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors that affect the prognosis of PABC.

Results We enrolled 35 patients in the PABC group (pregnancy: 10;postpartum: 25), and 70 patients in the non-PABC group.The median follow-up time was 68.5 and 70.7 months, respectively.The 5-year DFS was 51.6% in the PABC group, and that of the non-PABC group was 72.8%(χ²=4.72, P=0.029);the 5-year OS of the PABC group and the non-PABC group were similar (χ²=1.769, P=0.183).Cox regression analysis showed that pregnancy was an independent risk factor for DFS of PABC patients (P=0.011).

Conclusion Patients with breast cancer during pregnancy have a higher risk of recurrence.Further research is necessary to diagnose pregnancy-associated breast cancer earlier and adopt measures to improve the curative effect.