Breast cancer in in pregnancy and postpartum: Maternal and fetal implications

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and one of the most important causes of death among them. A diagnosis of cancer during pregnancy is uncommon. Pregnancy associated breast cancers (PABC) are the second most pregnancy related malignancy, after cervical cancer. PABC are cancers diagnosed during pregnancy or within one year of delivery. This review aimed to identify the maternal and fetal implications during PABC and management this situation in low- and middle-income countries, such as Armenia. Materials: The material of this study was a review of literature data from the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus without time limits. The keywords for the search were the following terms: PABC, risk factors, incidence and outcomes, as well as a combination of these terms. The study included data from three PABC patients with different outcomes, registered at the Erebօuni Medical Center during last 3 years. Results. Based on the published studies, the incidence rate of breast cancer varies greatly with race and ethnicity and is higher in developed countries. The findings of this study demonstrated that PABC outcomes depends of various risk factors including demographic, reproductive, hormonal, hereditary, breast related, and lifestyle. Conclusion. The results of this study indicated that breast cancer in pregnancy is an uncommon phenomenon but one which poses dilemmas for patients and their physicians. A multi-disciplinary approach is recommended for optimal clinical-decision making.