Some Triple Negative Breast Cancers Might Be Avoided by Longer Breastfeeding

THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Shorter breastfeeding duration and younger age at first birth are known risk factors for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and vary by race, according to research published online May 7 in npj Breast Cancer.

Rachel Jaber Chehayeb, M.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues quantified the contribution of breastfeeding duration and younger age at first birth to disparities in TNBC by calculating the population-attributable fraction (PAF). Relevant studies were identified, and pooled odds ratios were calculated for breastfeeding for less than six months and with age at first birth <25 years.

The researchers found that the PAF for breastfeeding for less than six months was 12 and 15 percent among White women and Black women, respectively.

“Policy changes aimed at supporting and more broadly enabling breastfeeding, addressing structural barriers, and promoting a culture shift could reduce overall incidence and racial disparities in TNBC incidence in the United States of America,” the authors write. “Increasing awareness of the protective role of breastfeeding, improving workplace policies, and limiting the lobbying power of formula companies might increase breastfeeding rates and duration, leading to healthier infants and fewer breast cancers.”

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text