Postpartum breast cancer is diagnosed five to ten years after giving birth. It is associated with a higher risk of metastasis and a lower survival rate compared with women who have not been pregnant or those diagnosed during pregnancy. A team from the Institut Pasteur set out to understand the mammary gland mechanisms involved in tumor formation during involution, a major tissue remodeling process that occurs after pregnancy.
In a preclinical study, the scientists revealed how senescence, a cellular response inducing stable cell cycle arrest, plays an ambivalent role during mammary gland involution. While it is crucial for the normal tissue remodeling process in the mammary gland, senescence can also be hijacked by tumor cells to help them spread. This discovery, published in Nature Aging on February 18, 2026, suggests that targeting senescent cells during mammary gland involution could reduce the risk of postpartum breast cancer.









