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Pregnancy and Breast Cancer

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Last Modified: September 14, 2008

Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"

If you are pregnant and discover that you have breast cancer are there treatments options available?

Angela DeMichele, M.D., MSCE, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, responds:

Much depends on the timing of the diagnosis, what trimester the pregnancy is in, and the extent of the breast cancer. There may be treatment strategies that can allow a woman to keep a pregnancy and receive treatment either during the pregnancy or after delivery. This is always a complicated medical situation, and should be managed by both an oncologist and a high-risk obstetrician who are experienced in this area.