Story Tools Send to a Friend Printer Friendly Get PDF Version Write a Comment Read Comments

Related Links

By Stephen Pincock

COPENHAGEN (Reuters Health) - The mothers of children who develop solid tumors seem to be at increased risk for developing breast cancer, researchers said on Wednesday at the European Cancer Conference.

Dr. Dong Pang, from Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in the UK and colleagues studied the mothers of 2,604 children under the age of 15 with solid tumors. He reported that there was a significant excess of breast cancers in these mothers compared to UK national data.

"Our study shows that mothers of children with certain types of tumors are at increased risk of developing breast cancer," Dr. Pang said. "The risk is higher in mothers of children who are younger than usual at the time of diagnosis of their tumors, and in mothers of boys with tumors. Also, the risk of breast cancer is higher during the early years following the birth of the child who subsequently develops cancer."



Specifically, compared to UK national data, the researchers found a standardised incidence ratio for breast cancer of 1.5 for mothers of children below the median age for diagnosis of their tumors (p < 0.05), of 1.6 for mothers of boys (p < 0.001) and 1.4 for mothers diagnosed under 50 (p < 0.06).

These women's predisposition to cancer might have something to do with certain high and low penetrance genes such as p53 and CHK2, the researchers suggested.

"We know that germline mutations in certain genes, particularly the tumor suppressor gene p53, greatly increase the risk of both breast cancer in young women and certain tumors in children--for example rhabdomyosarcoma," Dr. Pang said. "We think that a combination of disruption of the normal role of p53 in cell cycle control and hormonal disruption during pregnancy contributes to the development of breast cancer in the mother and cancer in the child."

This is the first study to show a link between cancers other than sarcoma in children and their mother's risk of breast cancer, Dr. Pang said. The research will help physicians decide when to screen women for breast cancer, said co-author Professor Jillian Birch.

Women with germline p53 mutations are already eligible for breast screening programmes in the UK, she said. The latest study helps define the periods of highest risk and it might be sensible to screen more frequently during high-risk periods.