Published: Less than 20 min ago
Many women with breast cancer today opt out of fertility-preserving treatments – out of fear that it may increase the risk of cancer recurrence. But now a new study from the Karolinska Institute shows that the measures do not seem to entail an increased risk of relapse.
The results, published in the journal Jama Oncology, showed that there was no increased risk of recurrence or mortality for women diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent fertility preservation, compared to diagnosed women who did not undergo any.
“It is important information that can hopefully contribute to changed care routines when it comes to young women with breast cancer who want to preserve their fertility,” says Kenny Rodriguez-Wallberg, adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet and one of the study’s authors, in a press release.
Close to one in ten women who suffer from breast cancer are of childbearing age, and are at risk of becoming sterile from the treatment with chemotherapy.
1,275 women participated in the study, of which 425 received fertility preservation treatment.