Abstracts » Health

Pregnancy and offspring after adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

Article Abstract:

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy has greatly improved the survival rate after surgery for a number of different cancers, including breast cancer. Unfortunately, adjuvant chemotherapy is not without side effects; among premenopausal breast cancer patients, 50 to 75 percent experience amenorrhea, suppression of menstruation, after chemotherapy. However, among women under 35, half continue to menstruate, and are usually capable of conceiving. To determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy has an effect on subsequent pregnancies, the records of 227 consecutive breast cancer patients under 35 were reviewed. These women had all received doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and cyclophosphamide as adjuvant chemotherapy. The records did not contain information about patients' use of contraceptives, therefore it was impossible to determine if the chemotherapy had any influence on fertility. Of the 128 patients for whom adequate data were available, 59 percent continued to menstruate, and 32 percent experienced temporary amenorrhea. In the 33 patients who became pregnant, 10 pregnancies were voluntarily terminated and two resulted in spontaneous abortion. Nineteen pregnancies went to full term and there were no fetal abnormalities. There was no evidence that pregnancy adversely affected the survival of any patient. It is concluded that pregnancy does not create an increased health risk for women who have had breast cancer and adjuvant chemotherapy and their children are not at high risk for birth defects. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Risk factors, Birth defects, Pregnancy, Complications of, Pregnancy complications

---

Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in male breast cancer

Article Abstract:

Although breast cancer in males is rare, roughly one percent of the incidence among females, the course of the disease is comparable in both sexes. The prognosis for patients with stage II or III disease, which is the most common stage at diagnosis, is poor. To determine if adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery might improve the odds of survival, 11 males with breast cancer were treated with chemotherapy; ten received 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide. One patient with coronary artery disease received methotrexate instead of doxorubicin. The follow-up ranged from 3 to 135 months. Seven of the 11 patients are disease free. Four patients have experienced recurrence; of these, one is dead. The rarity of male breast cancer limits the amount of available data. However, some studies have indicated a five-year survival rate of from 16 to 57 percent for male patients in whom the cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes. Even on the basis of limited numbers, the results of this study suggest that adjuvant chemotherapy is useful for male patients at high risk of recurrence of breast cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Cancer

---

Some parts © 2012 Advameg, Inc.