Breast Cancer Occurring during Pregnancy Research Paper

Breast Cancer Occurring during Pregnancy - Research Paper Example Women have a 12.67 % of developing breast cancer during their lifetime. ( National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program Cancer Statistics Review rates from 2001 to 2003.) According to Loibl S, von Minckwitz G, Gwyn K, et al. (2006) the condition will occur in one in 3000 pregnancies. Despite this, there have been few recent studies on the subject, especially those seeking to look for the histopathologic and immunohistochemical features which are combined in breast carcinomas in these patients, possibly because of the comparative rarity of the condition. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC), often referred to as gestational breast cancer; can be defined as any cancer of the breast diagnosed during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum including lactation (Molchovsky & Madarnas, 2008). However, there is considerable variation among authors, with defined postpartum periods ranging from 6 months to 2 years. (Psyrri & Burtness, 2005). Another idea is that PABC can be defined as occurring during pregnancy and until lactation ceases. PABC is the second most common malignancy in women, after cervical carcinoma, and occurs in 1 in 3000 pregnancies (Pavilidis & Pentharoudakis, 2005). A mother is already facing the huge changes that come with a new child and when breast cancer is diagnosed concurrently with pregnancy and lactation this becomes a very challenging situation for the patient, physically but also psychologically and socially, as well as her family, physicians, and other health care providers. Treatment options, either local or systemic, are limited by concerns about possibly harming the fetus, and are also conditioned by the gestational length of the pregnancy.