Maternal Age at the Last Birth and the Risk for Breast Cancer: A Case Control-Retrospective Study and Mini-Review of the Literature

Rapid Communication

Austin J Obstet Gynecol. 2023; 10(2): 1217.

Maternal Age at the Last Birth and the Risk for Breast Cancer: A Case Control-Retrospective Study and Mini-Review of the Literature

Anastasia Bothou1,2,3*; Stefanos Zervoudis1,4; Konstantinos Nikolettos3; Aggeliki Gerede3; Panagiotis Tsikouras3

1University of West Attica (UniWA), Athens, Greece

2Breast Department, “Alexandra” General Hospital, Athens, Greece

3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

4REA Hospital, Athens, Greece

*Corresponding author: Anastasia Bothou Breast Department of “Alexandra” General Hospital, Lourou 2-4, Athens, 11528, Greece, Tel: +00306951030017 Email: natashabothou@windowslive.com

Received: March 29, 2023 Accepted: May 02, 2023 Published: May 09, 2023

Abstract

Objective: Maternal age at the last birth and the risk of developing breast cancer were subjects of epidemiologic research, with controversial results. In order to objectively assess the relationship between maternal age at the last birth and the risk of developing breast cancer, we carried out this case control-retrospective study.

Material and Methods: In our case-control retrospective analysis, 342 women who visited two breast clinics in Greece and had given birth to live newborns were analyzed. Women with breast cancer were included in the case group, whereas women without the disease were included in the control group. All women underwent a clinical examination that included a breast ultrasound and, in those who were older than 40 years old, also a digital bilateral mammogram was performed.

Results: Mann-Whitney test observed that p-value = 0.474 and concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in the distributions of maternal age at birth of the last child of the two groups of women and the risk of breast cancer development.

Conclusion: Our study showed no statistically significant relationship between maternal age at the last birth and breast cancer. Further studies with a larger number of patients are mandatory in order to confirm this result.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Maternal age and birth; Breast Malignancy; Breast cancer risk factors

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most frequent cause of death among women [1]. The differentiation of breast tissue, as well as hormonal and immunological profiles, can be impacted by reproductive events and their timing, which may increase the risk of breast cancer [2]. According to studies, breast cancer risk was increased by later menopause, later first birth age, family history of the disease, and adverse delivery [3], while it was decreased by later menarche age, high parity and breastfeeding [4].

The number of pregnancies and the age at first birth are well-known risk factors for breast cancer. Maternal age at the last birth, which is a marker of a later spike of hormones connected to pregnancy, is crucial in the development of gynecological cancer [5]. The association between later maternal age at the last birth and a lower risk of endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer has been established [6,7]. However, it is still controversial whether or not maternal age at the last birth has an impact on the development of breast cancer.

The present case control-retrospective study was especially aimed to clarify the role of maternal age at the last birth in breast cancer development.

Material and Methods

This study was a case-control retrospective one. We included the data of 342 women who visited two breast clinics in Greece and had given birth to live newborns. Women with breast cancer were included in the case group, whereas women without the disease were included in the control group. All women underwent a clinical examination that included a breast ultrasound and, in those who are older than 40 years old, also a digital bilateral mammography was performed. The case-group included 202 women with a histologically confirmed breast cancer history, while the control group included 140 women without a history of breast cancer. The two groups were examined in the same period of time. In all patients, written informed consent was requested. The data were analyzed with SPSS 20 statistical package software. Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis and p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The average age of the patients in the study at the birth of their last child was 31 years old. The minimum value of the patients' age at the birth of their last child was 18 years old and the maximum value of the patients' age at the birth of their last child was 59 years old. In addition, the mean value of the age of the healthy study participants at the birth of their last child was 31 years old. The minimum value of the age of healthy women at the birth of their last child was 16 years old and the maximum value of the age of healthy women at the birth of their last child was 52 years old (Table 1).