Poster Spotlight Session 13: Special Populations: Pregnancy, Male and Geriatric Patients
Thursday, December 7 • 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. • Stars at Night Ballroom 3-4

Presentation: Worse prognosis for breast cancer in the second and third trimesters and shortly postpartum: An update of the Dutch pregnancy-associated breast cancer cohort

Carsten F.J. Bakhuis
University Medical Center Utrecht, 
Utrecht, Netherlands

What is your presentation about?
We have studied the prognosis of patients diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy (PrBC), within one year postpartum (PPBC) or within one year after an interrupted pregnancy (AABC) in The Netherlands. Breast cancer during pregnancy or in the postpartum period is also known as Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer (PABC). We compared our patient group with non-PABC patients matched for age and year of diagnosis. Altogether, we observed more aggressive histopathology in the PABC group, especially for patients diagnosed in the second and third trimester of pregnancy and in patients diagnosed within 6 months postpartum. These patient groups also had a markedly worse prognosis compared to the other PABC patient groups and the non-PABC patients.

What makes this topic important in 2023?
The incidence of PABC is increasing, and therefore an increasing number of patients will face breast cancer while also being pregnant. With our research, we show that PABC is more aggressive and has a worse prognosis compared to young non-pregnant controls. However, the etiology of these differences remains unknown. With this existing knowledge gap, more research is necessary to further elucidate the underlying causes for the aggressive tumor biology in PABC. In the end, this may improve our counseling of this patient group, and may render clues for novel therapies for PABC patients.

How did you get involved in this particular area of breast cancer research, care, or advocacy?
Our interests in this patient group started with the clinical observation that breast cancer which presented in pregnant patients seems to have a more unfavorable disease course. As the stories of these patients also have a huge impact on their treatment team, this led to our research investigating the tumor composition and prognosis of PABC. For me personally, I immediately felt a deep connection to this cause because of the necessity of this research, the amount of unanswered questions in the field and the high impact this disease has on the patients and their families. Therefore, with our research, we can hopefully contribute to more understanding and a better prognosis for this special patient group.