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Review
. 2019 Oct;8(Suppl 5):S493-S502.
doi: 10.21037/tcr.2019.07.16.

Surgery on breast cancer in pregnancy

Viola Liberale  1 , Elisa Tripodi  1 , Laura Ottino  1 , Nicoletta Biglia  1
Affiliations
Review

Surgery on breast cancer in pregnancy

Viola Liberale et al. Transl Cancer Res. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is defined as breast cancer develops either during or within 1 year after pregnancy, it is a rare disease arising in 1:3,000 to 1:10,000 pregnant women. Prognosis of this tumor is influenced by local or systemic treatment, which might be conditioned by gestational age and limited by the concern on potential adverse impact on fetus. The aim of this literature review is to analyze the main topics regarding surgical treatment of patients diagnosed with breast cancer in pregnancy: anesthesia and maternal-fetal monitoring, type of breast surgery, immediate breast reconstruction after radical surgery and management of the axilla. Some important topics remain controversial since the relative rarity of PABC precludes the feasibility of large studies leading to a lack of literature data. Multi-institutional collaboration is warranted to collect women with PABC, in order to best define surgical treatment in view of associated maternal and fetal risks.

Keywords: Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC); axillary surgery; breast cancer; breast surgery; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/tcr.2019.07.16). The focused issue “Rare Tumors of the Breast” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

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