Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy: a comprehensive review

Breast cancer during pregnancy (BCP) is clinically rare. Its occurrence during a unique physiological period introduces pregnancy-related complications that can seriously affect maternal health. Diagnostic and treatment criteria are lacking. Nowadays, breast cancer (BC) has surpassed lung cancer and become the most common malignant tumor in the world, posing a serious threat to women's physical and mental health. BCP is a rare malignant tumor with unique characteristics for diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosing cancer at this particular time in a woman's life is a challenge in clinical management because of the need to ensure psychological safety and pregnancy status. Lack of systematic diagnosis and treatment plans can affect patient outcomes. By reviewing the literature at home and abroad, we summarized the status of diagnosis and treatment of BCP as well as the controversial issues for clinical application, highlighting the evolutionary trajectory of management strategies in this field.