Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr;37(4):913-921.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-020-01730-9. Epub 2020 Mar 6.

Outcomes of ovarian stimulation and fertility preservation in breast cancer patients with different hormonal receptor profiles

Jacques Balayla  1 , Togas Tulandi  1 , William Buckett  1 , Hananel Holzer  1   2 , Naama Steiner  1 , Guy Shrem  1 , Alexander Volodarsky-Perel  3   4
Affiliations

Outcomes of ovarian stimulation and fertility preservation in breast cancer patients with different hormonal receptor profiles

Jacques Balayla et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate fertility preservation outcomes in breast cancer women with different hormonal receptor profiles before oncological treatment.

Methods: The study population included women with a diagnosis of breast cancer who underwent fertility preservation from 2009 until 2018 at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. Stimulation parameters and fertility preservation outcomes were compared among the following receptor-specific profile groups: (1) estrogen receptor positive (ER+) versus estrogen receptor negative (ER-), (2) triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) versus estrogen and progesterone receptor positive (ER+/PR+), and (3) TNBC versus non-TNBC. Primary outcome was the total number of mature oocytes. Secondary outcomes included the number of retrieved oocytes, the peak estradiol level, and the number of follicles > 14 mm on the final oocyte maturation trigger day.

Results: A total of 155 cycles were included in the final analysis. These were divided into the exposure groups of ER+ (n = 97), ER- (n = 58), ER+/PR+ (n = 85), TNBC (n = 57), and non-TNBC (n = 98). Cycle outcomes revealed similar number of retrieved oocytes and follicles > 14 mm on the trigger day. Women with TNBC had significantly lower number of mature oocytes compared with those with ER + PR+ (7 (5-11) versus 9 (7-15); p = 0.02) and non-TNBC (7 (5-11) versus 9 (7-16); p = 0.01) status. Triple-negative breast cancer profile was associated with a significant reduction in the chance of developing over 10 mature oocytes (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.19-0.92).

Conclusion: Among the different hormonal receptor profiles in breast cancer, the TNBC subtype has a negative effect on fertility preservation outcomes.

Keywords: Estrogen receptor; Fertility preservation; Number of oocytes; Progesterone receptor; Triple-negative breast cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of patient selection process. GnRH, gonadotropin-releasing hormone; ER, estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Singletary SE, Allred C, Ashley P, Bassett LW, Berry D, Bland KI, et al. Revision of the American joint committee on cancer staging system for breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20:3628–3636. - PubMed
    1. Blows FM, Driver KE, Schmidt MK, Broeks A, Van Leeuwen FE, Wesseling J, et al. Subtyping of breast cancer by immunohistochemistry to investigate a relationship between subtype and short and long term survival: a collaborative analysis of data for 10,159 cases from 12 studies. PLoS Med. 2010;7:e1000279. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allred D, Harvey JM, Berardo M, Clark GM. Prognostic and predictive factors in breast cancer by immunohistochemical analysis. Mod Pathol. 1998;11:155–168. - PubMed
    1. Allemani C, Sant M, Berrino F, Aareleid T, Chaplain G, Coebergh JW, Colonna M, Contiero P, Danzon A, Federico M, Gafà L, Grosclaude P, Hédelin G, Macè-Lesech J, Garcia CM, Paci E, Raverdy N, Tretarre B, Williams EM. Prognostic value of morphology and hormone receptor status in breast cancer – a population-based study. Br J Cancer. 2004;91:1263–1268. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Osborne CK, Yochmowitz MG, Knight WA, III, McGuire WL. The value of estrogen and progesterone receptors in the treatment of breast cancer. Cancer. 1980;46:2884–2888. - PubMed