Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in expectant mothers during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the breasts mature and grow to produce milk. This makes it difficult to recognize the mass in the breast and therefore the diagnosis of potentially malignant masses may be delayed. It is especially recommended that women planning pregnancy should have breast examinations before pregnancy, consult a specialist breast cancer physician when there is a palpable mass in the breast during pregnancy, and pay special attention to this issue if there is a family history of breast cancer.

Due to the physical changes that occur during pregnancy, it is difficult to recognize and treat breast pathologies. Although breast cancer is very rare in pregnancy, delayed diagnosis can make the healing process more difficult. In recent years, the risk of breast cancer during pregnancy has increased as the gestational age has increased to 30-40 years.

Studies have shown that if breast cancer is diagnosed, termination of pregnancy does not provide additional benefit in cancer treatment. Only in metastatic breast cancer that has spread to other organs of the body during pregnancy, pregnancy can be terminated to start chemotherapy in the first trimester. If breast cancer is diagnosed in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, the patient may be treated with chemotherapy drugs appropriate to her condition. For expectant mothers who cannot undergo radiotherapy, the treatment process starts with chemotherapy and continues with radiotherapy after delivery.

Breast cancer surgery can be safely performed during pregnancy in the second and third trimester.

Breast cancer mother can breastfeed her child after completion of treatment

An expectant mother who has beaten breast cancer is allowed to become pregnant 2-3 years after the treatment.

It is also possible for women who plan to have children after breast cancer treatment to lose their fertility during the treatment process. It is therefore preferable to store eggs or embryos before the treatment process. After cancer treatment, expectant mothers can also have a child through in vitro fertilization.