Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41214587›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Treatment of infertility and risk of breast cancer among women with a BRCA pathogenic variant: a matched case-control study.

Marta Seca, Jacek Gronwald, Tomasz Huzarski, Karen Glass, Amber Aeilts, Raymond H Kim, Beth Karlan, Christian F Singer, Andrea Eisen, Nadine Tung and 15 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors.

Marta SecaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza Dell'Ateneo Nuovo, Milan, Italy.
Jacek GronwaldInternational Hereditary Cancer Center, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Tomasz HuzarskiInternational Hereditary Cancer Center, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Karen GlassCReATe Fertility Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Amber AeiltsDivision of Human Genetics, the Ohio State University Medical Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
Raymond H KimDivision of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Beth KarlanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Christian F SingerDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Andrea EisenDepartment of Medical Oncology, Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Center and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Nadine TungBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Olufunmilayo OlopadeDepartment of Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Louise BordeleauDepartment of Oncology, Juravinski Cancer Centre and McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Pal MollerDepartment for Medical Genetics, The Norwegian Radium Hospital Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
William D FoulkesDepartment of Oncology, McGill Program in Cancer Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Susan L NeuhausenDepartment of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.
Fergus CouchDivision of Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Tuya PalDepartment of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Robert FruscioDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza Dell'Ateneo Nuovo, Milan, Italy.
Cezary CybulskiInternational Hereditary Cancer Center, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Jan LubinskiInternational Hereditary Cancer Center, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Shana KimWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada.
Ping SunWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada.
Steven A NarodWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada.
Joanne KotsopoulosWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada. joanne.kotsopoulos@wchospital.ca.
Hereditary Breast Cancer Clinical Study Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe global trend toward delayed childbearing has led to an increased use of fertility treatment, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and hormonal medications. Concerns regarding the potential impact of these interventions on breast cancer risk, particularly among high-risk women with a pathogenic variant in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes remains an important clinical concern.

methodsWe conducted a matched case-control analysis of women carrying a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 enrolled in a longitudinal, international study. The analysis included 4,145 women with invasive breast cancer (cases) and 4,145 matched controls without breast cancer. Data on infertility and use of fertility treatments was collected by a research questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between infertility, fertility medications, and IVF, with the risk of breast cancer. Multivariable models were adjusted for parity and oral contraceptive use.

resultsAmong the 8,290 participants, 12% reported a history of infertility, 5% had used fertility medication, and 1% had undergone IVF. There was no statistically significant association between a history of infertility (OR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.84-1.10), use of any type of fertility medication (OR = 1.10; 95% CI 0.90-1.34), or IVF specifically (OR = 1.15; 95% CI 0.76-1.73) and the risk of BRCA-breast cancer. Findings were similar in the adjusted analyses.

conclusionsFindings from this large, international study found no evidence for an association between infertility or fertility treatment and the risk of breast cancer among BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers. Although based on low rates of exposure, these findings provide some reassurance to BRCA carriers considering fertility treatment. Future studies evaluating impact of contemporary protocols are needed.

Indexed as

BRCA1 ProteinBRCA2 ProteinBreast NeoplasmsInfertilityInfertility, FemaleAdultCase-Control StudiesFemaleFertilization in VitroGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansMiddle AgedRisk FactorsBRCA1 ProteinBRCA1 protein, humanBRCA2 ProteinBRCA2 protein, humanBRCA1BRCA2Breast cancerInfertilityIVF

Identifiers

PMID41214587
PMCPMC12604272

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.