妊娠相关的乳腺癌，大多预后不良，而且临床医生和研究人员都同样会忽略它。随着分娩年龄增高这种趋势，可以预料，并发于妊娠的乳腺癌事件将有所增加，关于说明这种预后不良的机理已经有人提出，包括暴露于不断增加的激素环境，可能无助于减少这些病人转移机会增加，相反，相对于怀孕前的这种改变，妊娠期的乳房微环境可能促进肿瘤生长；这种改变和促炎症反应、创伤愈合机制有关，且被认为可能促进肿瘤细胞的扩散。这种假设将进一步论证。
原文出处：Nature Reviews Cancer 6, 281-291 (April 2006) | doi:10.1038/nrc1839
Article series: Tumour Microenvironment
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer and metastasis
Abstract
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer, which has a poor prognosis, is often overlooked by clinicians and researchers alike. With the trend towards delayed child-bearing, an increase in the occurrence of breast cancer complicated by pregnancy is anticipated. The mechanisms that have been proposed to account for this poor prognosis, including increased hormone exposure, might not contribute significantly to the observed increase in metastasis seen in these patients. Instead, the mammary microenvironment might become tumour-promoting after pregnancy because of the remodelling of the mammary gland to its pre-pregnant state. This remodelling, which is associated with pro-inflammatory and wound-healing mechanisms, is proposed to support tumour-cell dissemination. This hypothesis will be discussed.
