Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and other adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs)-including preterm birth, stillbirth, gestational diabetes, and hypertensive disorders-affect a significant proportion of reproductive-age women. While primarily considered reproductive health issues, emerging evidence suggests that these conditions may also reflect systemic dysregulation that influences long-term disease risk, including cancer.
Some biological mechanisms-such as hormonal dysregulation, immune dysfunction, and genetic susceptibility-may be shared between reproductive complications and malignancies, especially hormone-sensitive cancers like breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. However, population-level evidence supporting these links is limited.
The aim of this project is to assess whether women with RPL and/or other APOs have an increased or decreased risk of developing female-specific cancers and to investigate potential common mechanisms – genetic, hormonal, immune or metabolic – using comprehensive data from the UK Biobank. Our objectives are to!
1!Assess long-term cancer incidence (e.g., breast, ovarian, endometrial) following different APOs.
2!Identify genetic variants, immune-related markers, or hormonal profiles associated with both APOs and malignancies.
3!Examine how modifiable risk factors (e.g., smoking, obesity, reproductive history) influence the observed associations.
We hypothesize that distinct APO patterns reflect underlying biology relevant to cancer susceptibility. Understanding these links could enhance cancer risk stratification and early screening in women.