BREAST CANCER ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY

Three cases of breast cancer associated with pregnancy were reported. Two of the patients died of stage IV disease, 2 months and 17 days after delivery respectively. A third patient underwent radical mastectomy for stage I disease and the pregnancy was terminated by D & C. Then she gave birth to a child 16 months later and is well now, 5 years after surgery. It is said that breast cancer detected during pregnancy or lactation accounts for only 0.4-3.8% of this malignancy and its incidence is 1 per 3000 pregnancies. If it is reviewed for women of childbearing age, the incidence naturally increases to be as large as about 5 to 8 times the figure for entire breast cancers. Correct diagnosis of breast cancer occurring during pregnancy or lactation is often difficult to make owing to hormonal breast changes and tends to be deferred until advanced stages of the disease. However, we can find a lot of reports describing that no significant difference in disease course has been found between pregnant patients and non-pregnant ones, if the both patients groups were compared in the same stage. Accordingly, the more active diagnostic and therapeutic approach is strongly recommended for a breast mass which is formed during pregnancy or lactation.