A group of researchers, including professionals from the Dexeus Mujer medical team, has carried out a retrospective study to assess whether the ovarian response and the number of mature and vitrified oocytes obtained after performing ovarian stimulation treatment in young women with breast cancer, with and without the BRCA mutation, is similar to the response obtained in women of the same age who do not have cancer.

In total, the study included 61 women diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent ovarian stimulation treatment to vitrify their eggs. Their results were compared with the mean number of oocytes recovered in patients of the same age, calculated from a group of 3,871 “theoretically healthy” patients, since the indications were egg donation, preservation of fertility for non-medical reasons, or sterility for male reasons exclusively.

The results showed that there were no significant differences in response between women with breast cancer and what was expected for their age. The mean age of the patients with breast cancer was 32.81 ± 4.07 years. The researchers also did not observe significant differences when analysing the results in the subgroup of patients carrying the BRCA mutation, although the small sample size makes it necessary to be cautious in this regard.

Reference study:

COH outcomes in breast cancer patients for fertility preservation: a comparison with the expected response by age
Elisa Malacarne , Marta Devesa , Francisca Martinez , Ignacio Rodriguez, Buenaventura Coroleu.
J Assist Reprod Genet 2020 Dec;37(12):3069-3076.