Data describing the poor outcome associated with a breast cancer diagnosis in the post-weaning period

Postpartum breast cancer (PPBC) - which according to new data, can extend to 5–10 years after the birth - are estimated to represent 35–55% of all cases of breast cancer in women younger than 45 years. Increasing clinical evidence indicates that PPBC represents a high-risk form of breast cancer in young women with an approximately 2-fold increased risk for metastasis and death. Yet, the exact mechanisms that underlay this poor prognosis are incompletely understood and, hence, it is unknown why postpartum breast cancer has an enhanced risk for metastasis or how it should be effectively targeted for improved survival. This article is an accompanying resource of the original article entitled “Breast cancer diagnosed in the post-weaning period is indicative for a poor outcome” and present epidemiological data that compare standard prognostic parameters, first site of metastatic disease and survival and metastatic rates in young women with primary invasive breast cancer diagnosed within two years postpartum (PP-BC), in young women diagnosed during pregnancy (Pr-BC) and nulliparous women (NP-BC). Via an international collaboration of 13 centres participating in the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP), retrospective data of 1180 patients with primary invasive breast cancer, aged 25–40 years and diagnosed between January 1995 and December 2017 were collected. In particular, tumour-, patient, and therapy-related characteristics were collected. Furthermore, patient files were reviewed thoroughly to assess, for each parity, if and for how long breastfeeding was given. For PP-BC patients, breastfeeding history was used to differentiate breast cancers identified during lactation (PP-BC_DL) from those diagnosed post-weaning (PP-BC_PW). Primary exposures were prior childbirth or no childbirth, time between most recent childbirth and breast cancer diagnosis, time between cessation of lactation and breast cancer diagnosis and time between breast cancer diagnosis and metastasis or death. Distribution of standard prognostic parameters and first site of distant metastasis among study groups was determined applying fisher's exact, chi-squared, One-Way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests or logistic regression models, where applicable. The risks for metastasis and death were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. A subgroup analysis was performed in PP-BC_PW patients that never lactated (PP-BC_PW/NL), lactated ≤3 months (PP-BC_PW/Lshort) or lactated >3 months (PP-BC_PW/Llong).