New Studies Suggest Breastfeeding, Which TV Personality Coco Austin Did For Years, After Breast Cancer May Reduce Recurrence Risk or New Breast Cancer Diagnoses

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The first study looked into 5,000 young female breast cancer survivors with a BRCA gene mutation, pointing out that approximately 25% of the 474 women breastfed after birth; however, just under half of them weren’t able to breastfeed after undergoing a double mastectomy.

“After a median follow-up of 7 years from giving birth, there were no statistically significant differences in the number of breast cancer recurrences or new breast cancers between the women who breastfed and those who did not breastfeed (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% confidence interval = 0.57–2.06, P = .82). There were also no statistically significant differences in disease-free survival or overall survival between the two groups,” the study authors explain.

As for the second study, it included women with early-stage, hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.

“They recruited 518 women who temporarily interrupted their breast cancer treatment to have a baby—317 of whom had at least one live birth and 62% of whom breastfed,” the study authors explain. “The researchers found that these patients showed comparable results as those involved in the first study, with no risks associated with breastfeeding.”

Overall, the lead study author of the first study Eva Blondeaux, MD, an oncologist at the Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization, and Health Care (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Genova, Italy, said, “Our study provides the first evidence on the safety of breastfeeding after breast cancer in young women carrying a germline BRCA mutation.

“This indicates the possibility for these women to achieve a balance between the needs of the mother and those of the baby.”

The co–study author of the second study, Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, MD, PhD, Director of the Fertility & Procreation Unit at the European Institute of Oncology IRCCS in Milan, Italy, said in a statement, “These results are key for women who wish to become pregnant and breastfeed their baby after breast cancer. It’s time to start thinking of breast cancer survivors as women with all the rights, needs, and possibilities of women who never had cancer.

“[Physicians] were worried to give these women the chance of having a baby, but we have recently shown that this is safe in the short term. Now, with this new information, we can debunk the myth that breastfeeding is neither possible nor safe for breast cancer survivors. They can have a normal pregnancy and relationship with their baby, including breastfeeding.”

Despite the exciting news, the study authors and those involved in the research suggest more studies are needed for a better understanding of the findings.

Maria Alice Franzoi, MD, a medical oncologist and researcher at Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France,  who was not involved in the studies told staffers at the ASCO Post, “There was previously a lack of high-quality data regarding the feasibility and safety of breastfeeding in young women who have been treated for breast cancer. Until now, women and health-care providers lacked information on whether breastfeeding is feasible after breast cancer surgery, on the safety of pausing adjuvant treatments for breastfeeding and on the hormonal changes related to it.

“Data from these two studies will be extremely useful to guide our practical discussions with young women diagnosed with breast cancer. We should start thinking and discussing about survivorship care planning—including fertility preservation, pregnancy, and breastfeeding for women who want to consider these options—at the time of diagnosis, so they are prepared and empowered across the entire breast cancer journey for shared decision-making.”

More Studies On Breastfeeding And Cancer Risk Reduction

According to experts and organizations, breastfeeding has shown to lower the risk in women developing breast cancer (particularly an aggressive form of the disease called triple negative breast cancer).

There are two reasons for this. First, the hormones that are produced when a woman breastfeeds may delay their menstrual cycles and this, in turn, reduces the amount of estrogen her body is exposed to, and estrogen can feed cancer cells. Second, breast tissue diminishes during pregnancy and breastfeeding which can help remove cells with potential DNA damage.

An earlier study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) found that a lot of women (more than 60% surveyed in the study) are aware that there’s a link between breastfeeding and breast cancer risk reduction, but they didn’t hear it from their doctors.

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The OSUCCC study found that only 16% of women surveyed were told about the link between breastfeeding and reduced cancer risk by medical professionals. Those numbers are quite troubling, because if the information isn’t thoroughly vetted and coming from doctors, the question of accuracy is going to cross a lot of people’s minds.

The survey polled 724 women who had at least one child and found that most women said they chose to breast feed, but only 56% of all respondents knew about any link between breastfeeding and cancer. Among the women who chose not to breastfeed, 59% said if they had known about the reduction in breast cancer risk, it would have impacted their decision about breastfeeding.

So why aren’ doctors telling women about this link? It could have something to do with ongoing research. OSUCCC’s survey is part of a larger research effort at the cancer center that is exploring exactly how, and why breastfeeding can reduce a woman’s risk for breast cancer and how significant that reduction is. Studies have shown a strong correlation between breastfeeding and a reduced risk of developing a particularly dangerous type of breast cancer triple negative breast cancer. But the question of why is still up in the air.

Still, the study’s lead investigator Dr. Bhuvana Ramaswamy said it’s troubling that so many women aren’t being told about the link when they are pregnant or considering breastfeeding.

“We have a duty as a medical community to ensure our patients have reliable knowledge,” Dr. Ramaswamy said. “When it comes from a professional, medical information is much more likely to affect people’s choices. When it comes to breast cancer specifically, prevention is the best outcome.”

Additionally, another recent new study published in JAMA Oncology, points to a reduction in overall ovarian cancer risk as well. The new research finds that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of the deadliest subtype of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, called “high-grade serous.”

Dr. Jonathan Berek discusses how women can reduce their risk of ovarian cancer.

The reduction in risk stems from the interruption of a woman’s regular ovulation, according to Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology. However, the reason ovulation and ovarian cancer risk are linked is still unknown.

“The association of any interruption in ovulation (birth control pills, pregnancies, breastfeeding, for example) has been associated with decreased rates of ovarian cancer,” Dr. Chase says. “The reason for this is unknown, but has been reported consistently in the literature.”

The new research aimed to clarify whether the reduction in ovarian cancer risk among mothers was simply because they had children, or if breastfeeding played a role in risk reduction as well. Researchers pooled analysis of 9,973 women with ovarian cancer and 13,843 women without ovarian cancer from a total of 13 case-controlled studies. They found that breastfeeding was linked to a 24% reduction in risk of developing invasive epithelial ovarian cancer.  What’s more, the longer a woman breastfed, the greater reduction in risk.

While the new research found breastfeeding for a longer period of time resulted in a larger risk reduction, the act of “having breastfed was associated with reduction in risk of all invasive ovarian cancers, particularly high-grade serous and endometrioid cancers,” study authors say. For example, breastfeeding with one child for a duration of one to three months was associated with an 18% lower risk. If a woman breastfeeds for 12 months or more, that risk reduction rises to 34%.

How To Reduce the Risk Of A Breast Cancer Recurrence

You beat breast cancer. You battled the beast and are healthy, strong and ready to tackle the rest of your life. But what about breast cancer recurrence?

As triumphant as breast cancer survivors can feel after learning they are cancer free, many worry about recurrence. What are their chances of the cancer returning and what, if anything, can they do to help prevent it from doing so?

While the chance of recurrence varies based on the biology of the tumor, the stage it was when diagnosed and the treatment received, according to the Susan G. Komen organization, “Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will never have a recurrence.” That’s the good news.

“Once a patient has finished his or her active therapy for breast cancer, we will often refer to that time as breast cancer survivorship,” says Dr. Erica Mayer, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

“This is a time when patients are still being actively monitored by their treatment team, not only to ensure that they remain healthy and cancer-free in the years ahead, but also making sure that they have recovered from any side effects of their initial treatment, and that they are pursuing healthy behaviors for example, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and keeping up with all their other routine medical care.”

But recurrence does happen, so it’s important to do everything you can to reduce your risk. Here are some tips:

1. Follow Treatment Guidelines

“The best way to reduce your risk of recurrence with breast cancer is to follow treatment guidelines and complete the course of treatment that’s given,” says Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Mount Sinai, recently sat down with SurvivorNet and offered the following advice.

For example, she says many women have breast cancer that’s hormonally driven, and there are treatments that they give, such as pills like Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, to reduce the risk of these hormonally-driven cancers coming back. The issue is that the course of treatment may call for patients to take the pills for 5-10 years. While some have no side effects, others may experience a host of unpleasant side effects, even to the point where they’re severely debilitated and have no quality of life on these medications.

“So the challenge is to work with every individual person to make sure we give her the best chance of getting through these treatments and enjoying the benefits of these treatments, which is the lowest rate of cancer coming back,” Port says.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight may also reduce the risk.

“We know that obesity or being overweight can increase the risk of cancer recurrence in breast cancer,” Port says. “And so I say, maintaining a healthy body weight, whatever that is for the individual… You know, we talk a lot about healthy body weight, and there’s a very big range of this, but there are certain numbers beyond which, it does affect one’s health. So we try to keep people within a range of a healthy body weight.”

3. Limit Alcohol

Port says the other lifestyle factor that may increase one’s risk of breast cancer recurrence is heavy alcohol intake.

“We say alcohol in moderation is probably fine, which is defined as three to five drinks a week,” Port told SurvivorNet. “More than that can also potentially increase the risk of recurrence. So the big lifestyle factors are healthy body weight and moderate alcohol intake.”

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

She says there’s no one dietary element that you can eat or consume to give you an edge against breast cancer recurrence. It’s not eating more broccoli or eating more blueberries or becoming a vegetarian. She says the fact that sugar feeds cancer is a big myth too. However, everything you eat does contribute to your overall health.

“These things are all really helpful in maintaining an overall healthy well-balanced diet and also to maintain healthy body weight. We know that diets that are heavy in sugar content are also usually unhealthy and can lead to weight issues. So it all really funnels back to maintaining a healthy body weight when it comes to lifestyle factors.”

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5. Exercise

This goes hand-in-hand with maintaining a healthy weight. Dr. Erica Mayer, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, previously told SurvivorNet, “Once a patient has finished his or her active therapy for breast cancer, we will often refer to that time as breast cancer survivorship.

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“This is a time when patients are still being actively monitored by their treatment team, not only to ensure that they remain healthy and cancer-free in the years ahead, but also making sure that they have recovered from any side effects of their initial treatment, and that they are pursuing healthy behaviors for example, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and keeping up with all their other routine medical care.”

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

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