Insight Into Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer

Being diagnosed with breast cancer at any age is difficult. Being diagnosed with breast cancer during your pregnancy can make that difficultly paramount. In this blog, we will be discussing pregnant associated breast cancer and its realities.

We hope that if you've been reading our blog consistently, or have stumbled upon it recently, that there are few things we always want our readers to walk away with; that early detection is key, no one determines how you fight your battle, and to eliminate the stigma that breast cancer only appears later in life. While it is more common to be diagnosed with breast cancer after menopause, we hope that you've seen in our blogs that it is more common than you'd think to be diagnosed at a much younger age. Even more eye-opening, you can be diagnosed during your pregnancy. Just like any condition, there are plenty of rumors and myths floating around the internet. One that we've debunked before is that pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause cancer. While the two are not related, it is still possible to be diagnosed with breast cancer during your pregnancy.

• Pregnancy-associated breast cancer or PABC is when an expectant mother is diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or in the year or two after her baby is born. Treatment is, of course, looked at with much hesitation when diagnoses comes early in the pregnancy. Generally, most doctors prefer to wait to do surgery and chemo until after the first trimester. We've also talked about this a little bit before in previous blogs. When this treatment is delayed until after the 1st trimester, there are no medical findings or studies that show that it harms the baby. When it comes to radiation or IV therapy, that can be harmful to the baby, and in almost every single case, doctors will wait to use these treatments until after the baby is born. According to the Wiley Online Library, PABC affects 1 in every 3000 pregnancies and is more commonly found in women who what to have children in the 40s or 50s. It is also one of the "most common malignancies to complicate pregnancy". However, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, recent research has shown that pregnant women diagnosed with breast cancer "do as well or even better than non-pregnant women" when it comes to treatment or recovery. Most women and their children go on to have very healthy and happy lives after they go through their diagnosis and treatment.

• The reason why doctors wait for surgery and chemo until after the 1st trimester is that both could cause birth defects or the loss of the baby. Treatment will of course depend on how far along you are in your pregnancy and how far along you are in your diagnosis. According to Johns Hopkins, if your tumor is estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 positive, certain types of hormone therapy is recommended but will be performed after the baby is born. Surgery can be done during pregnancy and can be followed up with radiation after birth in certain situations.

• One of the biggest challenges you will be facing with PABC is breastfeeding. Surgery on a breast that is lactating can be much more difficult and the chemo or hormonal therapy you could be on can contaminate your breast milk, making it unsafe for your baby. It is recommended to postpone or stop breastfeeding until it is safe to do so. There are lactation specialists that you can add to your care team that can help you make the best decision and help guide you through breastfeeding during your treatment. Depending on where you are in your pregnancy and how far along you are in your diagnosis, if it is safe for the baby and necessary for your treatment, your care team might possibly discuss delivering your baby early. This will allow treatment to begin faster. Any lump or any warning signs found during your pregnancy need to be brought to your doctor's attention right away, just like they would be in any other part of your life. Early detection in this situation is not only crucial for your health but also that of your children.

• Remember that rumor we brought up at the beginning of this blog about how breastfeeding and pregnancy can make it more common to get breast cancer? According to BreastCancer.Org, studies have shown that breastfeeding and pregnancy improve survival rates. When a woman's breast is producing milk, this limits the cell's ability to behave or to act abnormally. This, in turn, will limit the ability for cancer cells to being growing. Also, women have fewer menstrual cycles during the time they spend breastfeeding, which lowers estrogen levels. Lowering these estrogen levels cuts down on the probability of cancer. Not only is breastfeeding good for you and your baby to connect and for the baby to be healthy and happy, but it is also natural prevention against breast cancer. So again, please don't believe everything you read!

Being diagnosed with breast cancer at this point in your life can come with a huge mix of emotions, ranging from joy of expecting your first child to the fear and panic of what could happen next. Please know you are not alone, and that there are many positive options to keep both you and your baby safe and healthy. Never hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns, and know we are always here for you!