Perinatal outcomes in young women with breast cancer and pregnancy

Breast cancer associated with pregnancy is defined as a malignant neoplasm of the breast that is diagnosed during pregnancy, breastfeeding or one year after delivery.

To analyze perinatal outcomes in a series of young patients with breast cancer and pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital.

Retrospective, analytical study of 26 women younger than 40 years of age with breast cancer who resolved their pregnancy at the National Institute of Perinatology between 2013 and 2018. Clinical-pathological characteristics, perinatal outcomes and family planning methods were studied. Percentages and central tendency measures were obtained, and comparisons were made with the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

Association of breast cancer with pregnancy was observed in 0.26% of all births; mean age of presentation was 34 years, 38.4% of cases had cancer at advanced clinical stages and 57.1% of the women were treated with modified radical mastectomy; no trend towards higher perinatal complications was observed.

Breast cancer associated with pregnancy implies an oncological challenge and does not appear to be a risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes.