Women who breastfeed are at a significantly lower risk of ovarian cancer, including high-grade tumors. According to the research, it is suggested that breastfeeding is a potentially modifiable factor that could lower risk for ovarian cancer separate from pregnancy alone.

Better management of patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be enabled with the new test developed by the researchers of CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal. Many of the genes involved in SCID have been identified, but clinicians sometimes come across patients who do not have any identified genetic abnormalities. An expert in the field of SCID said, “It’s very frustrating. In about seven per cent of patients, we can’t provide optimal care because we don’t know the genetic cause.”

The entire analysis included nearly 24,000 women — 9,973 with ovarian cancer who were a median age of 57.4 years and 13,843 women who were a median age of 56.4 years and served as a control group. Most (89%) of the participants were white. Breastfeeding prevalence ranged from 41% to 93% among the control group and the mean duration for breastfeeding ranged from 3.4 to 8.7 months.

When compared with controls, women with ovarian cancer were older, more likely to be postmenopausal, had given birth to only one child, had never used oral contraceptives, had a history of endometriosis and had a family history of ovarian cancer.

Later, Researchers learned that breastfeeding was associated with a 24% lower risk of invasive ovarian cancer and 28% decrease in borderline tumor risk. In those women who had ever breastfed, there was a reduction in risk of all invasive ovarian cancers, particularly high-grade serous and endometrioid cancers.

For participants who breastfed from one to three months, there was an 18% lower risk and a 34% lower risk in those who breastfed for a year or more.

“Several lines of evidence suggest that breastfeeding may also be associated with long-term modulation of inflammatory, immune or metabolic pathways, which could influence ovarian cancer risk,” the researchers noted.