Women who have been treated for breast cancer in the past should not give up breastfeeding their children, said doctors at the 35th congress of the European Society of Clinical Oncology, which took place on October 8-12 in Milan.
Dr. Hatem Azim, the lead researcher from the Department of Clinical Oncology at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, recalled that there is no evidence that breastfeeding is a threat to women who have previously been treated for breast cancer or their children. Despite this, doctors advise against feeding their offspring in this way.
Dr. Azim, together with colleagues from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, conducted a study on a group of 20 women who had given birth to a child and had been treated for breast cancer in the past. Half of them have attempted to breastfeed their baby and half have not. The health of the patients was followed up for an average of four years postpartum. During this period, the cancer recurred in two women – one from each group.
These results support our previous research showing that breastfeeding has no harmful effects on the health of women treated for breast cancer, Dr. Azim said. As the specialist adds, although this study included a small group of patients, this is the second work that proves the safety of breastfeeding by women previously treated for breast cancer. Unfortunately, in situations like this, it is not possible to conduct large-scale research.
Scientists observed in their research that two factors contributed to long-term breastfeeding. First, the type of surgery that women have undergone. Although women only breastfed untreated breasts, those who underwent breast conserving surgery had a greater chance of long-term lactation than women who underwent mastectomy.
It is likely that women feel more comfortable in the role of a mother after the sparing surgery, which emphasizes the influence of their body image on the success of lactation, Dr. Azim explained.
The second important factor positively influencing the lactation of the patients was the counseling provided to them after delivery. These women need motivation and encouragement to face their fears about the disease and its impact on milk production, fetal health and the risk of relapse, Dr. Azim explained.
Meanwhile, in the latest study, more than 50 percent. patients who have not breast-fed their baby received this advice from their doctor. This shows how appropriate counseling is needed for these women, emphasized the researcher.
In his opinion, it is a great shame that women are denied the opportunity to experience normal motherhood and that newborns are denied the enormous benefits of breastfeeding because of fears that are unsupported by any evidence, commented Dr. Azim. In his opinion, this is unjustified in the absence of scientific evidence.
All women admitted that breastfeeding in which the cancer developed was difficult due to morphological changes and lower milk production.
Nevertheless, we suggest that women may try to attach babies to a previously treated breast, but should be aware that it will produce less milk and that changes in the nipple and the areola will be possible, which may make it difficult to attach the baby to the breast and with this pain, concluded Dr. Azim. (PAP)