Preinvasive and invasive breast and cervical cancer prior to or during pregnancy

In conclusion, cervical and breast cancer are the two most frequently encountered malignancies during pregnancy. Although cervical cancer generally is diagnosed in its early stages, breast cancer tends to be discovered in more advanced stages. Therefore, the physician must have a high index of suspicion and must aggressively pursue the diagnosis of breast masses in pregnant women to try to detect the disease as early as possible. Premalignant lesions of the cervix also must be evaluated thoroughly. Therapy for these two cancers is similar to the treatment of nonpregnant women, with some modifications made due to fetal considerations and informed maternal desires. Pregnancy does not affect the progression or prognosis of either disease significantly. Pregnancy following the treatment for cervical cancer is unlikely, if not impossible, because current standard therapies will render these women infertile. There have, however, been some recent reports describing trachelectomy followed by laparoscopic lymph-node dissection for the treatment of early-stage cervical cancer in an attempt to preserve future fertility. Successful pregnancies are possible following the treatment of breast cancer and do not influence recurrence.