Effect of Pregnancy on Breast and Cervical Carcinogenesis, the Two Most Common Female Cancers

Statistical reports have shown that breast and cervical malignancies are the most frequent cancers found in the general female population. As more women choose to delay childbearing, the frequency of associated breast cancer is increasing and it is now the most common pregnancy associated carcinoma. The influence of pregnancy on the risk of breast cancer is dependent on several maternal features related to reproductive, genetic and hormonal factors. The effects of pregnancy on the course of breast cancer and its prognosis are complex. It is known that breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women, but whether it is more aggressive during pregnancy in these same women is debatable. One of the reasons for which overall prognosis is diminished in pregnant women is because breast cancer is usually diagnosed at more advanced stage during pregnancy. Ranked second as the most common malignancy in the female population, after breast carcinoma, cancer of the cervix, where HPV (Human papillomavirus) infection is a necessary cause, has a high incidence of 8.9% in all races and a death rate of 2.8%. It is the second cause of cancer death in females aged between 20 and 39 years and it is now known that pregnancy can play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis as well. The aim of this review is to see how the hormonal changes occurring during pregnancy increases the risk of both breast and cervical cancers.