Which of the following is FALSE regarding breast cancer during pregnancy?
Breast cancer occurs in 1 of every 3000 pregnant women, and axillary lymph node metastases are present in up to 75% of these women. The average age of the pregnant woman with breast cancer is 34 years. Less than 25% of the breast nodules developing during pregnancy and lactation will be cancerous. Ultrasonography and needle biopsy are used in the diagnosis of these nodules. Open biopsy may be required. Mammography is rarely indicated because of its decreased sensitivity during pregnancy and lactation Because of the potential deleterious effects of radiation therapy on the fetus, radiation cannot be considered until the fetus is delivered. A modified radical mastectomy can be performed during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, even though there is an increased risk of spontaneous aboion after first-trimester anesthesia. Ref: 1. Robinson DS, Sundaram M, et al: Carcinoma of the breast in pregnancy and lactation, in Bland KI, Copeland EM III (eds): The Breast: Comprehensive Management of Benign and Malignant Diseases. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1998, p 1433. 2. Hunt K.K., Newman L.A., Copeland E.M., Bland K.I. (2010). Chapter 17. The Breast. In F.C. Brunicardi, D.K. Andersen, T.R. Billiar, D.L. Dunn, J.G. Hunter, J.B. Matthews, R.E. Pollock (Eds), Schwaz's Principles of Surgery, 9e.
Axillary lymph node metastases in 75% of affected women
Mammography is sensitivity during pregnancy
Radiation cannot be considered for treatment
Less than 25% of the breast nodules are cancerous