Breast cancer during pregnancy more common

A breast cancer diagnosis coinciding with pregnancy represents a clinical dilemma by posing extremely difficult questions to the caregiver, the patient and her family. A new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the latest issue of journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, now show that the incidence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) has increased in Sweden in the last decades.

Mats LambePhoto: Gunilla Sonnebring

The reason for this increased incidence is partly due to delayed childbearing, according to the research team. The findings also suggest that breast cancer is under-diagnosed during pregnancy and lactation. An increased awareness of PABC improves the clinical management of these young breast cancer patients, for example by avoiding undue delays in diagnosis and treatment.

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