Abstract P6-10-07: The birth outcomes of pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors: Do they have a greater prevalence of delivering a preterm infant?
Authors: Kristin Z Black, Diane L Rowley
Journal: Cancer Research (2015)

Abstract BACKGROUND: Due to the advancement of screening and treatment options for cancer, more people are able to live fruitful lives after a cancer diagnosis, yet for pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors the effects of disease and treatment on birth outcomes is not well documented. POPULATION: Linked North Carolina birth record-cancer registry data were used to examine the birth outcomes of pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors. Out of the 2,213,464 eligible live births that occurred between 1990 and 2009 in North Carolina, 539 of the mothers are breast cancer survivors and 10.6% (n=235,262) of the mothers experienced a preterm birth (which is below the national average of 12%). A vast majority of the women have a high school diploma or are college educated (81.4%; n=1,796,594), 14.0% (n=309,208) of the women reported that they smoked during pregnancy, and about two-thirds of the women were not married at the time of the birth of their child (67.7%; n=1,499,053). A majority of the study population is non-Hispanic White (62.6%; n=1,385,393) followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (24.0%; n=531,584), Hispanics/Latinos (9.7%; 215,224), and non-Hispanics of other races (3.7%; n=81,250). METHODS: The aim of this study was to determine if breast cancer survivors of reproductive age (ages 18-49) who had a live birth after their diagnosis have a greater prevalence of preterm birth than women who were not diagnosed with breast cancer. Binomial regression was used to estimate the exposure-outcome association in this case-cohort study. FINDINGS: The crude prevalence of preterm birth for pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors is 2.01 (95% CI: 1.71-2.36) times the crude prevalence of preterm birth for women who were not diagnosed with breast cancer. When the data were stratified by race/ethnicity, the prevalence of preterm birth for pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors compared to women not diagnosed with breast cancer within each racial/ethnic group is 2.27 (1.85-2.79) for Whites, 1.45 (1.10-1.91) for Blacks, 2.23 (0.64-7.81) for Hispanics/Latinos, and 1.83 (0.52-6.50) for other races. Controlling for the mother’s education level, marital status, and smoking status during pregnancy, the prevalence of preterm birth for pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors compared to women not diagnosed with breast cancer within each racial/ethnic group is 2.37 (1.93-2.91) for Whites, 1.50 (1.14-1.98) for Blacks, 2.28 (0.65-7.97) for Hispanics/Latinos, and 1.79 (0.51-6.31) for other races. CONCLUSION: Women diagnosed with breast cancer during their reproductive years are potentially at greater risk of experiencing a preterm birth and may benefit from targeted preconception health interventions. Citation Format: Kristin Z Black, Diane L Rowley. The birth outcomes of pre-menopausal breast cancer survivors: Do they have a greater prevalence of delivering a preterm infant? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-10-07.