Pregnant breast cancer patients 'can be treated like others'

Oncology nurses have been told that pregnant women with breast cancer can be treated in the same way as those that are not pregnant.

German researchers analysed treatment and outcomes for 110 pregnant patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Of these 33% had surgery only, 43% had surgery and chemotherapy, 5% had chemotherapy alone and 3% had no treatment.

Six babies had health problems – three in the non-chemotherapy group and three in the chemotherapy group. One in the chemo-treated group had enterocolitis, a second had a genetic condition, while a third was small for gestational age.

'In terms of primary endpoint, foetal outcome four weeks after delivery, this shows that pregnant patients can benefit from the same treatment that is given to non-pregnant women,' Dr Sibylle Loibl, assistant professor in obstetrics at Frankfurt University, told delegates at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin.