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Query: UMLS:C0281663 (pregnancy and breast cancer)
 25 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Breast cancer in association with pregnancy and lactation is rare, but presents a therapeutic problem of considerable magnitude. The outlook for such patients is less favorable than that of nonpregnant, nonlactating women, probably because the stage of the disease is more advanced when it is discovered. The most significant factor in the poorer prognosis is physician delay in diagnosis and therapy. When mastectomy is carried out early in pregnancy, the operation can be as effective as in nonpregnant women of the same age groups. It is emphasized that when pregnancy and breast cancer are found concurrently, prompt therapy for the cancer should be undertaken. Interruption of pregnancy in nondisseminated breast cancer is of little value. If pregnancy is near term when the diagnosis of disseminated breast cancer is made, the desire of the husband and wife for a child should be considered. A modest delay in therapy to allow for delivery probably has no deleterious effect. Castration should be withheld and used only for the patient with metastatic disease. There may be a place for prophylactic castration in the treatment of disseminated disease, but its role is yet to be clearly defined. Subsequent pregnancies in a patient with axillary spread at the time of mastectomy are contraindicated, because of the high rate of treatment failure and decreased rate of survival. In patients desiring future pregnancies following mastectomy, a period of observation of at least 2 years seems wise. At the end of that period, if clinical evaluation, laboratory values, roentgenographic studies, and isotopic bone scanning are negative for disseminated disease, subsequent pregnancies seem safe. Prompt evaluation of any breast mass found during pregnancy and lactation should be carried out by needle or operative biopsies under local anesthesia. Although the prognosis of the pregnant or lactating woman with breast cancer is generally favorable, numerous long-term survivals are encountered in those women who undergo prompt mastectomy early in pregnancy. The former pessimistic outlook for such patients seems unjustified. With modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, therapy can be effective and successful.
Surg Clin North Am 1978 Aug
PMID:Pregnancy and breast cancer. 21 May 28

Although breast cancer is the most common malignancy in pregnancy, its overall incidence remains low. It appears that pregnancy and breast cancer are merely coincidental and that pregnancy does not directly contribute to the development or accelerated progression of breast cancer. The majority of studies have documented a significant delay in diagnosis secondary to physiologic changes of the breast during pregnancy and have reasoned that this is the likely explanation for the advanced stage of disease upon initial presentation. Although pregnant patients present at a later stage of breast cancer, survival stage for stage is the same when pregnant patients are compared with young nonpregnant patients with breast cancer. A suspicious breast mass in a pregnant patient should be biopsied and appropriately treated, without need for extensive preoperative staging. Therapeutic abortion should be performed only on an individual basis, namely in patients in whom necessary radiation or chemotherapy would be detrimental to the developing fetus and in whom a significant delay of this treatment would be harmful. In patients with early-stage disease, it is recommended to wait 2 years after treatment of breast cancer for subsequent pregnancy; however, in women with advanced disease, subsequent pregnancy should be discouraged.
Surg Clin North Am 1996 Apr
PMID:Breast cancer in pregnancy and lactation. 861 Feb 63

Premenopausal women with a new diagnosis of breast cancer are faced with many challenges. Providing health care for issues such as gynecologic comorbidities, reproductive health concerns, and vasomotor symptom control can be complicated because of the risks of hormone treatments and the adverse effects of adjuvant therapies. It is paramount that health care professionals understand and be knowledgeable about hormonal and nonhormonal treatments and their pharmacological parameters so they can offer appropriate care to women who have breast cancer, with the goal of improving quality of life. Articles for this review were identified by searching the PubMed database with no date limitations. The following search terms were used: abnormal uterine bleeding, physiologic sex steroids, endometrial ablation, hysteroscopic sterilization, fertility preservation in endometrial cancer, tranexamic acid and breast cancer, menorrhagia treatment and breast cancer, abnormal uterine bleeding and premenopausal breast cancer, levonorgestrel IUD and breast cancer, tamoxifen and gynecologic abnormalities, tamoxifen metabolism, hormones and breast cancer risk, contraception and breast cancer, pregnancy and breast cancer, and breast cancer and infertility treatment.
Mayo Clin Proc 2011 Mar
PMID:Challenges in the gynecologic care of premenopausal women with breast cancer. 2145 40

The incidence of concurrent breast cancer and pregnancy (also known as pregnancy-associated breast cancer [PABC]) may increase as women delay child bearing. Because of the physiologic changes associated with pregnancy, diagnosis often is delayed, lending to poorer prognostic factors on presentation. Therefore, the clinical challenge in managing PABC involves controlling the cancer while maximizing survival outcomes for the expectant mother without compromising the health and safety of the fetus. Collaboration and communication between multidisciplinary team members are crucial. Education is key in providing a general overview of available diagnostic modalities, endorsing the multidisciplinary approach to care and treatment for the mother and fetus, and identifying the oncology nursing role specific to this patient population. Women with PABC must be kept informed of all aspects of care to ensure active participation in the decision-making process, as they are not only concerned for their own well-being but also that of their unborn child. Anxiety levels often run high and steady communication offers a modicum of control to this already-stressed patient population.
Clin J Oncol Nurs 2012 Oct
PMID:Two lives intertwined: pregnancy-associated breast cancer. 2302 45