It has been warned about the increase in pregnant women with breast cancer. Currently it is estimated that in Spain 120 cases of pregnant women suffering from the disease are diagnosed each year.
Because women become pregnant at increasingly advanced ages, experts advise a thorough follow-up during pregnancy due to the minimal presence of symptoms, since the changes that occur in the breasts due to the woman's own condition makes the diagnosis of breast cancer is delayed.
The warning for doctors and patients is to remain alert to the detection of any change in the mammary gland since between 0.2% and 3.8% of pregnancies are complicated by the appearance of a cancer of this type.
It may not seem like a significant figure, but they believe that the percentage will increase due in part to the delay in maternity age and to the fact that tumors appear at an earlier age.
Since pregnant women are at greater risk that the tumor will not be detected during the months of pregnancy, it is requested to take into account the evaluation and follow-up of women in state.
Although many doctors are reluctant to apply a cancer treatment during pregnancy, some specialists agree that you can operate with general anesthesia and even receive chemotherapy after the first trimester of pregnancy (always depending on each case and what the oncologist decides , of course), although not receiving hormonal therapies and radiotherapy.
The importance of detection and early treatment is vital. Research has shown that survival is much higher in pregnant women who have received treatments (78%) compared to those who were not treated (45%).
