open access
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer as a screening and diagnostic challenge: a case report
Affiliations- Department of Electroradiology, Greater Poland Cancer Center, Poznan, Poland
open access
Abstract
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is the most common malignancy of pregnancy, affecting 1 in 3000 women. Due to the increased size and density of the breast tissue during pregnancy and lactation, diagnosis and treatment are commonly delayed. A 37-year-old woman, gravida 1 para 0, at the 27th week of gestation presented with two tumors of approximately 2 cm in the right breast with ipsilateral lymph node involvement on the ultrasonography. HER2–, ER+, PR+, a poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma was identified by the core biopsy and immunohistochemistry. The diagnosis of PABC was made, the tumor’s clinical stage was cT2, N1, Mx. She underwent a total mastectomy with axillary node dissection on the right side and was started on adjuvant therapy with paclitaxel. Our report highlights the importance of proper breast oncology surveillance during pregnancy, using safe and inexpensive methods including ultrasonography and biopsy of suspicious masses, to avoid cancer development and progression.
Abstract
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is the most common malignancy of pregnancy, affecting 1 in 3000 women. Due to the increased size and density of the breast tissue during pregnancy and lactation, diagnosis and treatment are commonly delayed. A 37-year-old woman, gravida 1 para 0, at the 27th week of gestation presented with two tumors of approximately 2 cm in the right breast with ipsilateral lymph node involvement on the ultrasonography. HER2–, ER+, PR+, a poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma was identified by the core biopsy and immunohistochemistry. The diagnosis of PABC was made, the tumor’s clinical stage was cT2, N1, Mx. She underwent a total mastectomy with axillary node dissection on the right side and was started on adjuvant therapy with paclitaxel. Our report highlights the importance of proper breast oncology surveillance during pregnancy, using safe and inexpensive methods including ultrasonography and biopsy of suspicious masses, to avoid cancer development and progression.
Keywords
breast neoplasms; pregnancy; diagnosis
About this articleTitle
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer as a screening and diagnostic challenge: a case report
Journal
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology
Issue
Article type
Other materials agreed with the Editors
Pages
162-164
Published online
2021-02-10
Page views
766
Article views/downloads
667
DOI
Bibliographic record
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology 2021;71(3):162-164.
Keywords
breast neoplasms
pregnancy
diagnosis
Authors
Anastasia Kalantarova
Nicole Josephine Zembol
Joanna Kufel-Grabowska
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