Recent studies have reported that 3 breast cancers occur in every ten thousand pregnancies. The average age of cases diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy is 34.
- A careful breast examination should be performed during the first pregnancy examination and at least once every 3 months thereafter.
- Any breast mass detected during pregnancy and breastfeeding should be evaluated very carefully.
- It is thought that some hormone levels that increase during pregnancy play a role in the development of cancer.
- Survival rates of breast cancers seen during pregnancy are the same. It is similar to non-pregnancy cancers in the early stages. However, cancers detected during pregnancy are generally at a more advanced stage.
- It has not been shown whether the later stage at diagnosis is due to hormonal stimulation during pregnancy or the delay in diagnosis due to physiological changes in the breast.
- General principles of treatment. It is the same as in non-pregnant women.
- It is necessary to make a decision about the course of pregnancy without compromising oncological principles. Surgical treatment can be applied at any time during pregnancy, but the course of pregnancy is decided according to the necessity of additional treatments.
- Breast-conserving surgery should not be performed except for patients in the last 3 months and in whom radiotherapy can be postponed until after birth (4-6 weeks).
- If chemotherapy is necessary, it should be postponed until the 2nd trimester (3rd-6th months) in order to reduce its effect on the unborn baby and the risk of miscarriage. In general, chemotherapy is not applied in the first three months of pregnancy; if applied later, it has little effect on the baby.
- If the patient becomes pregnant while receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer, the pregnancy should be terminated.
- For women who have been treated for breast cancer, There is no definitive evidence that their disease will worsen if they become pregnant later. However, patients who have breast cancer at a young age should be warned that there is such a theoretical risk.
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