Breast cancer and pregnancy

The issue of pregnancy-associated breast cancer is important, particularly as more women delay childbearing fur personal or professional reasons. Diag nosis and treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy encompass many diagno stic and therapeutic dilemmas. Risk to the unborn child plays a major role in the decision process. The issues of therapeutic abortion and prognosis a lso must be addressed in these difficult treatment discussions. Other issue s, such as risk of metastatic disease in the fetus and placenta, are unique to pregnancy-associated breast cancers.