Virginia Borges, MD

Improving outcomes for women with postpartum breast cancer.

Impact

Postpartum breast cancer (PPBC) is diagnosed within 5-10 years of childbirth. Rates of PPBC are rising as women delay childbearing, and it is associated with higher risk for metastasis and death compared to breast cancer in younger women before or during pregnancy. Prior research has identified biological events such as breast tissue remodeling that occurs after lactation or pregnancy without nursing as inciting events that promote aggressive breast cancer. Biological mechanisms such as a change in normal proteins that regulate signaling in the breast, new lymphatic vessels forming from pre-existing ones, an increase in inflammation, and the expression of a gene called SEMA7A have also been found to contribute to poorer outcomes.

What’s next

Women are diagnosed with PPBC globally, and the research team will validate their findings that SEMA7A is a strong predictor for poor outcomes in large, diverse groups of women that better represent all women at risk. They also hope to identify treatment resistance mechanisms and potential for improved outcomes using immunotherapy in PPBC. In addition, the team is currently developing a targeted SEMA7A therapy for PPBC to be tested in future clinical trials.