How immune cells and lymphatic changes after childbirth affect postpartum breast cancer
Official title: The Tumor Microenvironment and Lymphatic Remodeling in Postpartum Breast Cancer
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11248768 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how immune cells and lymphatic changes in the breast after childbirth may make postpartum breast cancers more likely to grow and spread, especially in women who did not breastfeed or stopped early.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $520,376 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA267897-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248768 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women diagnosed with breast cancer within about ten years after giving birth, especially younger patients and those who did not breastfeed or stopped breastfeeding early.
✕Less likely to help
People with breast cancers not related to recent pregnancy or those well beyond the postpartum period may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer after giving birth, researchers will examine your tumor and nearby breast tissue to see how immune cells and lymphatic vessels change during the postpartum period. They will compare samples from women who breastfed with those who did not and analyze immune cell types, inflammation markers, and tumor genomic features. The team will use laboratory analyses of human tissue and complementary animal or cell models to understand mechanisms behind more aggressive postpartum tumors. The goal is to find biological signatures that could help doctors predict risk and guide treatment for younger women with postpartum breast cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify markers that predict which postpartum breast cancers are likely to spread and suggest interventions to reduce that risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior epidemiologic studies show breastfeeding lowers postpartum breast cancer risk and early evidence hints that NSAIDs may help, but detailed tumor microenvironment studies in postpartum breast cancer are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcdonald, Jasmine Alise — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Mcdonald, Jasmine Alise
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and immune changes in postpartum breast cancer
This research tests whether breast changes after pregnancy make postpartum breast cancer more aggressive and whether breastfeeding or common anti-inflammatory medicines might lower that risk for women who recently gave birth.
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Preventing breast cancer in the years after childbirth
This project tries to prevent breast cancer that appears within five years after giving birth by studying whether common anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin can lower that risk for women who recently had a baby or have benign breast disease.
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Preventing breast cancer related to childbirth
This study is looking at how having a baby might raise the risk of breast cancer in women within five years after childbirth, and it’s exploring whether certain anti-inflammatory medications could help lower that risk by examining changes in breast tissue.
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Investigating how the environment around tumors affects breast cancer after pregnancy
This study is looking at how breast cancer that happens after having a baby might be different and more serious, and it aims to find ways to help young women who face this challenge by understanding what happens in the tumor environment during this time.
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Investigating how the environment around tumors affects breast cancer after pregnancy
This study is looking at how pregnancy might change the way breast cancer behaves, especially for new moms, to find ways to lower the risk and improve treatment for those who develop postpartum breast cancer.
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Wearable tech to track blood loss during childbirth
A wearable device monitors cardiovascular signals to detect postpartum hemorrhage early so clinicians can act quickly to protect mothers.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.