Clinical features of breast cancer during pregnancy

Although the chance of breast cancer developing during pregnancy is relatively small, some breast cancers still occur during pregnancy in very rare cases. Patients with breast cancer during pregnancy still appear clinically. Will breast cancer during pregnancy be harmful to the fetus? What are the clinical characteristics of breast cancer during pregnancy?

1. Non-aggressive

Some pregnant breast cancer patients and their families are worried that pregnancy-related hormones will stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells, making the breast cancer situation worse. In fact, although the research results in this regard are not consistent, the results of most studies have shown that the prognosis of breast cancer during pregnancy is no worse than any other type of breast cancer.

2. Not easy to be discovered

Because women's breasts undergo many normal physiological changes during pregnancy, their breasts will have more bumpy lumps and become denser than usual. These symptoms often mask certain signals of cancer, making breast cancer difficult to detect.

3. Treatment is limited

The tricky part about breast cancer during pregnancy is that its treatment is subject to many restrictions. For example, if radiotherapy is performed in the early stages of pregnancy, the radiation may reach the fetus. Data show that the proportion of fetal malformations caused by chemotherapy in the early stages of pregnancy is quite high. Patients with breast cancer during pregnancy are also unable to undergo general anesthesia, so the possibility of mastectomy is also ruled out, but biopsy or mid-term resection can be performed under local anesthesia. If further treatment is required, it is necessary to determine whether it can be carried out until the middle of pregnancy or even after delivery based on the condition.