title: Polyunsaturated fatty acid content may be increased in the milk of women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is aggressive and difficult to diagnose. High intake of most types of dietary fat is thought to increase breast cancer risk; however, results in humans supporting this premise remain equivocal. Fatty acid (FA) concentrations in the body comprise both dietary intake and endogenous FA production. Most assessments of FA levels have been performed on blood, with little information on the effect of FA levels in breast milk on PABC risk.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine if FA concentrations in the milk from women diagnosed with breast cancer while nursing were different in the cancer-containing breast and opposite breast.
  
  
  METHODS
  We quantified 16 long-chain FA and soluble FA synthase (sFAS) enzyme levels from 4 women diagnosed with PABC, comparing results from the cancer-containing breast to those from the normal breast.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fatty acid concentrations consistently exceeded and trended higher (P < .10) in each cancer-containing breast for 20:4n-6 (arachidonic acid [AA]), 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]), and 22:5n-6 (docosapentaenoic acid [DPA]). Soluble FA synthase levels were similar in the cancer-containing and normal breasts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast milk concentrations of AA, EPA, and DPA increased in the cancer-containing breast of women with PABC. This increase was not associated with higher sFAS levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Tyler, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Wenyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raatz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Ke K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Thad A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rosenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Tyler, TX, USA edward.sauter@uthct.edu.
authors.forename: Edward R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Sauter
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
keywords: breastfeeding; fatty acids; pregnancy-associated breast cancer