Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
Can a woman get breast cancer during pregnancy?
Although it is rare, it is possible to be diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. However, breast cancer is not caused by pregnancy. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, it is not related to being pregnant.
Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy have tremendous additional strain due to concern for the safety of the unborn child. It can be a traumatic and extremely difficult situation, but there is still hope for both mother and child, thanks to the many treatment options available.
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, be sure to communicate carefully with your obstetric care team as well as your oncology team, and verify that they have open communication with each other. Your medical team will take extra care in designing the treatment plan that best controls the breast cancer while protecting your unborn child.
What cancer treatments are safest during pregnancy?
Your treatment plan will depend on the size of the tumor, its location, and the term of your pregnancy. As with women who are not pregnant, surgery is usually the first step for treating early-stage breast cancer. Surgery during pregnancy can be safely performed with little risk to your unborn child. If your oncology team recommends surgery, they may proceed by removing the cancerous lump with a lumpectomy or mastectomy, and possibly some lymph nodes from under the arm.
Chemotherapy may be a treatment option, depending on your cancer type and the stage of your pregnancy. There are specific windows of time during pregnancy that are safe to receive chemotherapy without harming the baby. Your healthcare team will help you determine when that is, if chemotherapy is necessary to treat your breast cancer.
Radiation, if recommended, is always done after the baby is born because radiation is not safe for an unborn child.
The effects of hormonal therapy on unborn children are not entirely understood. Because of this, if hormonal therapy is prescribed, it will most likely be used only after the baby is born.
Although the cancer itself cannot spread to and harm the unborn child, sometimes the best treatment plan for the mother may put the unborn child at risk. These decisions will require the expertise and consultation between your obstetrician, surgeon, medical oncologist, and radiation oncologist. You will also need the emotional support of family and friends and may benefit from the professional assistance of a skilled counselor or psychologist.
Women of childbearing age who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and who wish to have more children in the future may be worried about how treatment can affect their future fertility. Read Does Breast Cancer Treatment Affect Fertility? for more information on how treatment can affect your fertility and ways to preserve your fertility after treatment.