Breast Cancer in Pregnant Women: How to Detect Early and How to Care

Without too much awareness, breast cancer is one of the malignancies that can occur in pregnant women. About 1 in 3,000 pregnant women are at risk of developing this disease.

Breast cancer that occurs during pregnancy or in the first year after birth is called pregnancy-related breast cancer (PABC). With early detection and proper treatment, this condition can be cured.

Even in this case, adapting care to ensure the safety of the mother and the baby that is made makes this process more complicated. Therefore, pregnant women need to be more aware of this disease.

Steps for Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Pregnant Women

Breast cancer in pregnant women is quite difficult to detect because physical changes during pregnancy can mask changes in breast shape due to cancer. For example, breast augmentation during pregnancy can complicate the process of detecting nodules formed by breast cancer.

However, early detection must be done before the disease worsens. The following steps can be taken to detect breast cancer in pregnant women.

1. Recognize changes in the breast

Breast cancer in pregnant women is usually characterized by breast size, without pain and by thickening of the skin in the breast. A thorough breast examination to detect these changes can be done by a doctor.

You can also monitor changes in breast shape during pregnancy. When you see changes in the suspected breast, you are advised to seek medical attention immediately.

2. Ultrasound

After detecting the mass or changes in the breast, the next examination that may be done is to use ultrasonography. This examination is carried out to identify the mass: cyst or other condition.

3. biopsy
To further confirm the diagnosis of the mass, a biopsy examination can also be done. If a lump is detected to contain fluid, the medical team can take a sample with a syringe, using fine needle aspiration.

4. Mammography

Mammography procedures are usually used to detect breast cancer. However, if this is done in women under 40, sensitivity will be reduced because of the density of breast tissue that remains good.

This procedure can also emit radiation so that pregnant women need certain protective measures so that the fetus is not exposed to radiation.

Treatment of breast cancer in pregnant women

In early-stage breast cancer, surgery is considered safe for pregnant women, regardless of their trimester. At the same time, radiation therapy is not recommended for pregnant women because it can cause interference to the fetus.

The type of surgery performed can be removal of breast tissue (lumptectomy) or removal of all breast tissue (mastectomy). Mastectomy is the first choice for pregnant women in the first or second trimester. While in pregnant women in the third trimester, lumptectomy is recommended.

During surgery, the doctor will also examine other glands that can spread breast cancer. If a certain gland becomes a nest of breast cancer, the doctor will also remove the gland.

If chemotherapy is needed, this procedure will be done after the first trimester to reduce the risk to the baby. In cases of advanced cancer, surgical treatment and chemotherapy may be needed at some time.

Overcoming breast cancer during pregnancy is certainly not an easy thing. Therefore, for you pregnant women, you should be more aware of this disease. Do not let the condition that can be detected early even continue to develop into a malignant tumor.

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