Australian study links pregnancy-induced immune cells to breast cancer protection

MELBOURNE, July 7 — Researchers in Australia have identified immune cells recruited during pregnancy that may help protect against breast cancer, raising the prospect of new preventive interventions for women who have not had children.

In a study published in Nature Immunology, scientists found that pregnancy triggers an influx of “killer” T cells — a type of immune cell that helps detect and destroy abnormal cells, including cancer cells — into breast tissue, according to a statement from Australia’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Center (Peter Mac) released on Monday.