Scientists connect presence of fetal cells in women to risk of breast and colon cancers

 

Scientists have discovered, for the first time, a possible causative link between the concentration of circulating Y-chromosome fetal cells in women who have given birth and their risk of later developing breast cancer and colon cancer. The presence of these cells, called fetal microchimerism, is the result of fetal cells naturally passing into the mother during pregnancy with male children, where they can persist in small numbers in the blood and tissues for decades after childbirth. The findings show that women with the lowest concentration of fetal cells were 70 percent less likely to have breast cancer, while women with the highest concentration had a four-fold increased risk of colon cancer when compared with healthy controls. According to Vijayakrishna K. Gadi, senior author of the study, the reason for these links is unknown and will require further research.