The researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reached the conclusion that pregnancy has no impact on breast cancer patients. The study is considered one of the largest ever made on this certain matter and the results managed to bring some light and dismiss several smaller studies released in previous years.

The study involved 652 women with breast cancer, 35 years old or younger. About 16 percent of the group had PBAC, which is the rare pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Once the tests were completed, the researchers concluded that there appear to be no differences in the rates of cancer reoccurrence, spread and survival between the women with PABC and the rest of the patients.

"Breast cancer in young women is a highly aggressive disease, and it's important that we study it in hopes of making a difference in terms of treatment," explained Beth Beadle, M.D., a radiation oncology resident at M. D. Anderson, who is the study's first author. She also added that "When we looked at our young breast cancer population, a relatively large percentage had disease affiliated with pregnancy. We thought it would be really instructive to review our data to determine how we can best serve these women."

According to the results, an estimated 3.8 percent of pregnancies are complicated by breast cancer, and about 10 percent of women under 40 develop the disease during pregnancy.

The study is available in the current issue of the journal Cancer, offering the complete set of results and also the researchers’ statements.