Breast cancer is the most common cancer in pregnant women and tends to affect
women in their mid-thirties. Although only about 1 in every 1,000 pregnant women
get breast cancer, the disease can be devastating to both the mother and her
child -- so it is essential that pregnant women and their doctors continue to do
routine breast exams and thoroughly investigate any suspicious lumps.
A major problem is that a lot of changes take place in a woman's breasts
during pregnancy. This makes it harder to identify suspicious lumps. In
addition, breast cancer tumors in pregnant women are often larger and more
advanced by the time they are detected than lumps in women of the same age who
are not pregnant.
How is breast cancer diagnosed in pregnant women?
The
best thing you can do while pregnant is to see your obstetrician regularly.
These doctor visits, called prenatal (or "before birth") visits, are
very important in keeping both you and your baby in the best possible health.
During these visits, your obstetrician will perform a breast examination to
check for suspicious breast changes.
It is also important to regularly perform breast exams on yourself. Your
doctor or nurse can teach you how to do this properly.
If a suspicious lump is found, your doctor will likely ask you to get a
mammogram or an ultrasound. As in all procedures that expose you to radiation
when you are pregnant, the technicians will take extra care to shield your baby
from radiation during the mammogram.
If the lump is still suspicious after these tests, the doctor will usually
perform a biopsy. In fact, your doctor will often recommend that you get a
biopsy even if the initial tests come back negative. During the biopsy, a small
sample of the suspicious tissue will be removed with a needle or by making a
small cut. This sample is then thoroughly examined using a microscope and other
methods to detect any cancer cells.
What if I do have cancer? Will I have to lose my baby?
First of all, terminating the pregnancy does not improve the mother's chances of
surviving the cancer.
Second, there is no evidence that breast cancer can harm the baby. What can
harm the baby are some of the treatments for breast cancer -- and these depend
on how far advanced the cancer is. This is another reason why it is so important
to detect these and other cancers early.