Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Safety of assisted reproductive techniques in young women harboring germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2 with a pregnancy after prior history of breast cancer

  • M. Condorelli
  • , M. Bruzzone
  • , M. Ceppi
  • , A. Ferrari
  • , A. Grinshpun
  • , A. S. Hamy
  • , E. de Azambuja
  • , E. Carrasco
  • , F. A. Peccatori
  • , A. Di Meglio
  • , S. Paluch-Shimon
  • , P. D. Poorvu
  • , M. Venturelli
  • , C. Rousset-Jablonski
  • , C. Senechal
  • , L. Livraghi
  • , R. Ponzone
  • , L. De Marchis
  • , K. Pogoda
  • , A. Sonnenblick
  • C. Villarreal-Garza, O. Córdoba, L. Teixeira, F. Clatot, K. Punie, R. Graffeo, M. V. Dieci, J. A. Pérez-Fidalgo, F. P. Duhoux, F. Puglisi, A. R. Ferreira, E. Blondeaux, T. Peretz-Yablonski, O. Caron, C. Saule, L. Ameye, J. Balmaña, A. H. Partridge, H. A. Azim, I. Demeestere, M. Lambertini*
*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Knowledge is growing on the safety of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in cancer survivors. No data exist, however, for the specific population of breast cancer patients harboring germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants. Patients and methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study across 30 centers worldwide including women diagnosed at ≤40 years with stage I-III breast cancer, between January 2000 and December 2012, harboring known germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants. Patients included in this analysis had a post-treatment pregnancy either achieved through use of ART (ART group) or naturally (non-ART group). ART procedures included ovulation induction, ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and embryo transfer under hormonal replacement therapy. Results: Among the 1424 patients registered in the study, 168 were eligible for inclusion in the present analysis, of whom 22 were in the ART group and 146 in the non-ART group. Survivors in the ART group conceived at an older age compared with those in the non-ART group (median age: 39.7 versus 35.4 years, respectively). Women in the ART group experienced more delivery complications compared with those in the non-ART group (22.1% versus 4.1%, respectively). No other apparent differences in obstetrical outcomes were observed between cohorts. The median follow-up from pregnancy was 3.4 years (range: 0.8-8.6 years) in the ART group and 5.0 years (range: 0.8-17.6 years) in the non-ART group. Two patients (9.1%) in the ART group experienced a disease-free survival event (specifically, a locoregional recurrence) compared with 40 patients (27.4%) in the non-ART group. In the ART group, no patients deceased compared with 10 patients (6.9%) in the non-ART group. Conclusion: This study provides encouraging safety data on the use of ART in breast cancer survivors harboring germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2, when natural conception fails or when they opt for ART in order to carry out preimplantation genetic testing.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100300
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
JournalESMO Open
Volume6
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2021
Externally publishedYes

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • ART
  • BRCA
  • Breast cancer
  • Fertility
  • Pregnancy
  • Survival

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Safety of assisted reproductive techniques in young women harboring germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2 with a pregnancy after prior history of breast cancer'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this