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Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Neoplasia, Multidisciplinary cancer care, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Biopsy, Ultrasound, Oncology, Breast
Authors:
I. Mancarella, V. Alberotanza, G. Berardi, G. D'Eredità; Bari/IT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2017/C-0829
Background
Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer (PABC) represents about 3% of malignant breast tumors.
During pregnancy,
increased blood levels of estrogens and progesterone lead to important modifications of breast structure,
with augmented volume and density of the gland.
This tends to present a diffused nodular structure that may conceal potentially palpable breast lesions.
As a consequence,
most of PABC are diagnosed with delay.
Moreover,
these neoplasms tend indeed to be more aggressive: these patients usually come to visit when they already present a palpable mass,
and in 50% of cases,
lymph nodes are already involved.
This may determine a worst prognosis compared to tumors of non-pregnant patients.
The clinical management of these patients may be more complex,
as it is often difficult to have a correct differential diagnosis between non-malignant and malignant lesions.
Furthermore,
it is difficult to choose the correct therapeutic timing related to the actual pregnancy week,
in order to avoid the under and over-treatment for the mother and the teratogenic risks for the fetus.