Pregnancy-Associated Cancers Tied to Higher Five-Year Mortality

TIESDAY, April 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnancy-associated cancers are associated with increased five-year mortality, according to a study published online April 6 in JAMA Oncology.

Zoe F. Cairncross, M.P.H., from the University of Calgary in Canada, and colleagues assessed whether individuals diagnosed with pregnancy-associated cancer (cancer during pregnancy or one-year postpartum) have higher risks for mortality versus those diagnosed with cancer not during pregnancy. The analysis included 24,307 premenopausal women diagnosed with cancer in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario from 2003 through 2016, with follow-up through 2017.

The researchers found that one-year survival was similar across diagnosis during pregnancy, postpartum, and periods remote from pregnancy, but five-year survival was lower among those diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or postpartum. Risk for death due to pregnancy-associated cancer was higher among those diagnosed during pregnancy (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.79) and postpartum (aHR, 1.49); however, these results varied across cancer sites. Increased mortality risk was seen for breast (aHR, 2.01), ovarian (aHR, 2.60), and stomach (aHR, 10.37) cancers diagnosed during pregnancy and brain (aHR, 2.75), breast (aHR, 1.61), and melanoma (aHR, 1.84) cancers diagnosed one-year postpartum.

"More research on each cancer site is required to provide robust evidence to guide counseling and clinical care of affected patients," the authors write.

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