Outcomes of pregnancy-associated breast cancer: a Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective To compare the case-fatality rate (CFR) and relapse rate (RR) between patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) and non-PABC and explore the possible factors contributing to such differences. Methods We searched the online databases including PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP for case-control or cohort studies describing the outcomes of patients with breast cancer diagnosed during or within 1 year after pregnancy. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for literature quality evaluation. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using RevMan5.3, and the publication bias of the retrieved articles was evaluated. Results We retrieved 23 articles that compared the CFR between patients with PABC (n=1 999) and non-PABC (n=13 271). The results of meta-analysis showed that the patients with PABC had a significantly higher CFR than those with non-PABC (OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.31-1.63; P=0.40, I 2=5%). Meta-analysis of 5 articles that compared the RR between patients with PABC (n=188) and non-PABC (n=493) showed that the patients with PABC had a significantly higher RR than those with non-PABC (OR=2.10, 95%CI: 1.45-3.04; P=0.30, I2=18%). The funnel plots indicated no publication bias in all the articles included in this analysis. Conclusion The patients with PABC have a poorer prognosis than those with non-PABC.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• lactation
• breast cancer
• prognosis