Most breast cancers in pregnant women are found during a clinical breast exam. Pregnant women may get a clinical breast exam as part of their prenatal care.
Screening mammography isn’t used in pregnant women because the radiation may harm the fetus. And, younger women (under age 40) usually don’t get screening mammography.
If a lump is found during the first trimester, tests such as breast ultrasound (rather than mammography) are used to check for breast cancer.
After the first trimester, a pregnant woman may have a diagnostic mammogram with a shield covering her abdomen to protect the fetus.
Breast cancer can be hard to detect in pregnant women. The increased size and change in the texture of the breasts during pregnancy can make smaller cancers hard to feel. So, breast cancers in pregnant women may be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than in non-pregnant women .
There are special treatment concerns for pregnant women who have breast cancer.
Although cancer itself does not seem to affect the fetus, some breast cancer treatments can be harmful .
Your treatment plan and the timing of your treatments are chosen to treat your cancer as well as protect the fetus.
Breast cancer surgery is safe during pregnancy.
Although the anesthesia used during surgery can cross the placenta to the fetus, it doesn’t appear to cause birth defects or serious pregnancy problems .
Breast reconstruction, however, should be delayed until after the baby is born to avoid further anesthesia and the chance of blood loss.
Mastectomy (instead of lumpectomy) is usually recommended for pregnant women who are in their first trimester and want to continue their pregnancy . Radiation therapy is needed after a lumpectomy and radiation can harm the fetus.
However, some women in their second or third trimester may consider lumpectomy . In these cases, radiation therapy is delayed until after the baby is born. This delay does not affect prognosis .
Some women in their second or third trimester may have chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) .
Chemotherapy is not given during the first trimester, since this is the time when the chances for drug-related birth defects and miscarriage are greatest [147-149].
During the second and third trimesters, some chemotherapy drugs can be used safely .
However, chemotherapy should not be given after week 35 of pregnancy or within 3 weeks of the due date (or planned delivery date) . This gives a woman time to recover from chemotherapy before delivery.
Many women diagnosed in their third trimester often wait and have chemotherapy after giving birth.
Hormone therapies (such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors) and targeted therapies (such as trastuzumab (Herceptin)) are not used at any point during pregnancy because of risks to the fetus [12,148].
Learn more about hormone therapy.
Learn more about trastuzumab.
Gina Samet, survivor & mother
Prognosis for women with breast cancer is similar to that of non-pregnant women, when age and cancer stage are taken into account .
Ending a pregnancy does not improve prognosis .
If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and wish to breastfeed, talk with your health care provider.
Breastfeeding should be avoided while being treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy.
Some treatments (such as surgery and radiation therapy) may make it difficult to nurse from the treated breast.
Facts For Life: Breast Cancer in Pregnancy
Facts For Life: Young Women & Breast Cancer
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