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
Observational Study
. 2020 Mar 20;10(1):5171.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62070-3.

RANKL and OPG and their influence on breast volume changes during pregnancy in healthy women

Marius Wunderle  1 , Matthias Ruebner  1 , Lothar Häberle  1   2 , Eva Schwenke  1 , Carolin C Hack  1 , Christian M Bayer  1 , Martin C Koch  1 , Judith Schwitulla  1 , Ruediger Schulz-Wendtland  3 , Ivona Kozieradzki  4   5 , Michael P Lux  6 , Matthias W Beckmann  1 , Sebastian M Jud  1 , Josef M Penninger  4   5 , Michael O Schneider #  1 , Peter A Fasching #  7
Affiliations
Observational Study

RANKL and OPG and their influence on breast volume changes during pregnancy in healthy women

Marius Wunderle et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Breast cancer risk is reduced by number of pregnancies and breastfeeding duration, however studies of breast changes during or after pregnancy are rare. Breast volume changes - although not linked to breast cancer risk - might be an interesting phenotype in this context for correlative studies, as changes of breast volume vary between pregnant women. Serum receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) and its antagonist osteoprotegerin (OPG) were measured prospectively before gestational week 12, and three-dimensional breast volume assessments were performed. A linear regression model including breast volume at the start of pregnancy, RANKL, OPG, and other factors was used to predict breast volume at term. The mean breast volume was 413 mL at gestational week 12, increasing by a mean of 99 mL up to gestational week 40. In addition to body mass index and breast volume at the beginning of pregnancy, RANKL and OPG appeared to influence breast volume with a mean increase by 32 mL (P = 0.04) and a mean reduction by 27 mL (P = 0.04), respectively. Linking the RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway with breast volume changes supports further studies aiming at analysing breast changes during pregnancy with regard to breast cancer risk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

C.C.H. received honoraria from Roche. M.C.K. received honoraria from Roche, NCO, and Valley Electronics AG, he participated on advisory boards for Hexal/Sandoz, Medac, and Roche, and he has stock ownership of Roche and Bayer. M.P.L. received honoraria from Pfizer, Roche, MSD, Hexal, Novartis. AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eisai, and Medac for advisory boards, lectures, and travel support. J.M.P. received an ERC Advanced Grant on RANKL/RANK in cancer and holds a patent on RANKL inhibition in breast cancer. P.A.F. received honoraria from Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Celgene, Daiichi-Sankyo, TEVA, AstraZeneca, Puma, Eisai, MSD, and Myelo Therapeutics, and his institution conducts research with research grants from Novartis and Biontech. All remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of changes in breast volume (mL) between gestational week 12 and 40 (week 40 minus week 12).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Breast volume (mL) (a) at gestational week 12 and (b) at gestational week 40, relative to RANKL status.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Breast volume (mL) (a) at gestational week 12 and (b) at gestational week 40, relative to OPG status.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Increases in breast volume (mL) between gestational week 12 and 40, (a) relative to RANKL status and (b) relative to OPG status.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Predicted and observed breast volumes (mL) at gestational week 40 using the linear regression model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fasching PA, et al. Breast Cancer Risk - Genes, Environment and Clinics. Geburtsh Frauenheilk. 2011;71:1056–1066. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1280437. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wunderle M, et al. Risk, Prediction and Prevention of Hereditary Breast Cancer - Large-Scale Genomic Studies in Times of Big and Smart Data. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2018;78:481–492. doi: 10.1055/a-0603-4350. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer Breast cancer and breastfeeding: collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 47 epidemiological studies in 30 countries, including 50302 women with breast cancer and 96973 women without the disease. Lancet. 2002;360:187–195. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09454-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lambe M, et al. Transient Increase in the Risk of Breast Cancer after Giving Birth. N. Engl. J. Med. 1994;331:5–9. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199407073310102. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hack CC, et al. Association between mammographic density and pregnancies relative to age and BMI: a breast cancer case-only analysis. Breast cancer Res. Treat. 2017;166:701–708. doi: 10.1007/s10549-017-4446-7. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types