Breast cancer (diagnosed) during pregnancy: Adapting recent advances in breast cancer care for pregnant patients

Breast cancer during pregnancy (BCP), although rare, is increasing, and treatment should be as similar as possible to that for non-pregnant young breast cancer patients. A group of specialists convened to review current guidelines and provide guidance on how recent advances in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can be adapted for pregnant patients. The majority of BCP patients will be considered for treatment during the pregnancy. Premature delivery should be avoided whenever possible. Most treatments, including sentinel node biopsy, systemic therapy with taxanes, platinum agents or dose-dense treatment, can be safely given during pregnancy, after careful risk/benefit assessment for the mother and child. Chemotherapy is contraindicated during the first trimester because of a higher risk of foetal malformations, but is feasible in the second and third trimesters. Other treatments such as radiation therapy or anti-HER2 treatment are in general not indicated during pregnancy, but might be considered in some instances. Patient data should be collected in a systematic way whenever possible.