Pregnancy and breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies during pregnancy. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) presents a challenging clinical situation. This article reviews the current evidence around the management of PABC and the safety of pregnancy after breast cancer. The trend towards later age at first childbirth has resulted in an increase in the number of breast cancer cases coexistent with pregnancy. The management of breast cancer during pregnancy requires a multidisciplinary team approach. Breast surgery can be safely performed during any trimester of pregnancy. Radiation therapy, if required, must be delayed until after delivery. The majority of patients with PABC require chemotherapy. The timing of delivery in relation to chemotherapy administration should be carefully considered. There is no evidence to date that pregnancy termination influences overall survival for the mother. To date, there is no clear evidence that subsequent pregnancy after breast cancer is associated with worse maternal survival. There is a suggestion that subsequent pregnancy may in fact be associated with an improved survival. However, the available studies are limited by potential biases.