Pregnancy and Carcinoma of the Breast

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in pregnancy. It appears that pregnancy and breast cancer are marely coincidental and that pregnancy does not directly contribute to the development or acceleration progression of breast cancer. The majority of studies have documented a significant delay in diagnosis secondary to physiologic changes of the breast during pregnancy. Survival stage for stage is the same when pregnant patients are compered with non-pregnant patients with breast cancer. A suspicious breast mass in a pregnant patient should be biopsied for diagnosis. Therapeutic abortion should be performed only in patients whom necessary radiation or chemotherapy would be detrimental to the developing fetus. In patients with early- stage disease, it is recommended to wait 2 years after treatment of breast cancer for subsequent pregnancy.